Heavy In Your Arms
by EnchantedxDreamer
Summary: Elena's a doctor who just met the man of her dreams. Can she resist him when she finds out he's a doctor and relationships with coworkers are forbidden? What happens when Elena's life is in danger and she risks losing everything, including her own life? Can Damon save her? AH/AU
1. Chapter 1

**Elena is a doctor in the ER at Mystic Falls Hospital. What happens when Damon Salvatore is the new doctor that Elena can't get out her mind and relationships within the workplace are forbidden? What happens when Elena is in danger and risks losing everything? AU/AH**

**You can watch the trailer for this on my youtube channel or enter this after typing in YouTube's address /watch?v=-Ix2eLmJ9Sk  
**

**RATED M FOR FUTURE CHAPTERS**

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Elena Gilbert didn't have the best life, but she managed to go on happy. Her parents had died in a car crash when she was sixteen years old. Her Aunt Jenna moved into the Gilbert household to reside with her and her brother Jeremy. Elena and Jeremy had a great brother and sister relationship. Shortly after their parents had died, Jeremy gained a drug problem and got involved with some pretty bad people. He managed to stay out of trouble but Elena constantly worried about him.

A year later, Elena had been sorting through her parents things and discovered adoption papers. Elena had been shocked, thinking that it was Jeremy that had been adopted but as she continued to read on, she saw that she was the one that had been adopted. Elena's world fell down around her. She had never expected to find out that her parents were not her real ones. She had confronted her Aunt Jenna and she told her all about how John Gilbert, the uncle she despised, was her real father. After Jeremy had found out, nothing had changed between the two of them. Jeremy loved her and thought of her as his sister no matter what.

After high school, Elena stayed at home to keep an eye on Jeremy and studied medical at a community college. When Elena thought that Jeremy had finally cleaned up his act, Elena transferred to Duke University to further her studies.

Now, Elena was a doctor. She worked in the ER and she took her job very seriously. She moved back to Mystic Falls and was happy to see that her brother looked like he had his life together. He was studying art at the local college and wanted to write graphic novels. Aunt Jenna had still lived where Elena knew as home. Jeremy had found his own place, an apartment above the Mystic Grill. All had seemed well and for once Elena had no worries. She was happy, she was single, but she was now living a normal life, besides the long hours in the ER. Her best friends Bonnie and Caroline all met up at the Grill from time to time.

It was the middle of August when Caroline called her up and invited her to a party. The party had been out by the falls and had been a tradition since they were in high school. Elena had agreed to go since it had been a while since she had been to one of these parties. When she got there, what she didn't expect was to run into her high school boyfriend Matt. He still looked at her with those longing eyes and Elena just didn't feel it. After feeling his eyes on her constantly throughout the night Elena decided she needed to take a walk and enjoy the fresh air.

It was times like these when Elena wish she still had her mom around. She loved the advice that her mother would give to her. She always knew what was best. Sure, she and Matt had dated for a while, not to mention she had lost her virginity to Matt, but it was a bonfire similar to this party that Elena's mind was jumbled. She loved Matt sure, but she wasn't in love with him and that's not the type of love she wanted. In fact, she didn't know what she wanted. Her parents had picked her up from the party and it was that night that her life had been changed forever. Her parents and had gotten into a car crash on their way to pick up Elena. Their car had malfunctioned and caused them to crash over the Wickery Bridge. Shortly after the tragedy, Elena ended things with Matt. There was nothing there for her anymore. Matt still longed after her and it was that particular reason she needed some space from the party.

She had been walking along the falls when she decided to walk along the tree line that was next to the highway. Not many people traveled along the road. It was the only road that led in and out of Mystic Falls and the Falls wasn't exactly a tourist attraction. It was then that she saw a dog running through the woods, headed towards the highway when she gasped seeing the incoming car.

She ran as fast as her legs could give her as she saw the car speeding down the road towards the dog.

"HEY!" She started waving her arms, trying to catch the dogs attention. The car sped closer and closer and Elena screamed, fearing the worse.

"STOP!" She shrieked and held her hands over her face, not being able to see it happen. She didn't hear the impact and but heard the screech of the tires. She looked up and saw the car had swerved around the scared dog and sped on down the highway. Elena ran out to the dog and threw her arms around it.

"Oh you poor puppy." She said as another car, traveling down the road had begun to slow down and pull over into the shoulder. It was a blue Camaro. The driver got out of the car quickly and Elena looked up to see a man in black jeans a black v-neck shirt and a slick leather jacket. She couldn't see his face as the headlights from his car blinded her. She covered her eyes and he took signal to go back and turn them off. As he rushed over to her, he heard the sound of his smooth velvety voice.

"Are you okay?" He runs over and kneels beside Elena and the dog. Elena watched as his piercing blue eyes scanned over her and the dog for any injury. She looked up to see his concerned eyes and nodded quickly.

"Yes…yes, we're fine." She gulped and her voice was shaky. "There was a car…"

"Yes, I know. I saw everything. Is this your dog?" He cut her off with a nod as he knelt beside her closely, looking around as to check for any other cars.

"No. I was just walking around the falls and I saw the car coming." She said, looking at him and petting the dog, calming it down.

"That was very brave of you." He glanced at her as he stood up slowly. "We really should get you two out of the road before another car comes." He offered his hand. She took it as he helped her up. Her legs were shaky as she stood up and stumbled into his chest.

"Sorry." She mumbled as she caught herself, her hands on his chest and she smiled shyly. She straightened up as he smirked a bit. She looked to the dog, it was a young golden retriever. It couldn't any more than a year old. It stayed by her side and followed her as she and the man walked back to the shoulder.

They were now underneath a streetlight when he got a good look at her face. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. As Elena looked at him she couldn't help but let her eyes wander from his raven black hair to his strong jawline.

"I'm Elena." She smiled at him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm Damon." He responded, his lips curving upwards slightly. "Not to be rude or anything Elena but it's kind of weird for you to be out alone in the middle of nowhere." He smirked. "Not to mention it's well after midnight."

Elena shrugged and looked around. "It's Mystic Falls, nothing bad ever happens here."

He chuckled and looked at her, a small smile on his lips. "Right, just speeding cars that almost run you over right?"

Elena laughed a bit and crossed her arms. "And what about you? Driving into the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night?"

He looked around as he laughed gently. "Well, I'm returning to Mystic Falls. Plus, I'm more of a night person than a day person."

"Right." She laughed and shook her head as she sighed. "There's actually a get together in the woods, I needed to escape for a bit. My ex still hasn't gotten over me." She shrugged.

"You don't want him?" He looked at her as he leaned against the hood of his car, crossing his ankles and putting his hands in his jean pockets.

"I don't know what I want." She said with a shrug, walking over to the hood and leaning against it as well.

He looked at her, tilting his head a bit. "Well that's not true." He shrugged. "You want what everybody wants."

"What?" She paused as she tilted her head and smiled playfully. "A mysterious stranger who has all the answers?"

He laughed and withdrew his hands from his pockets, uncrossing his ankles as he stood straight up and turned towards her. "Well, let's just say I've been around a long time. I've learned a few things." He pursed his lips and nodded. Elena noticed that Damon had a big personality and seemed to have all the answers.

Elena uncrossed her arms and stood fully upright again, taking a step towards Damon with that same playful smile.

"So tell me Damon…what is it that I want?" Her eyes roamed his features as she noticed him taking a step closer to her with a cocky grin on his face.

"Now if I told you that, then the thrill of it would be gone now wouldn't it?" He smirked as he stood inches away from Elena.

She looked at him as she glanced down to his lips, not saying anything. She felt like his presence was consuming her as he leaned closer and she was thriving off of it. "But if you must know, I'll tell you." He gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his bright cerulean eyes. "You want a love that consumes you…" Elena felt herself shiver as what she was feeling for him came out of his mouth. "You want passion, adventure, and maybe even a little danger." Elena felt as though he had read her soul. Everything he had said had been true and she couldn't deny the attraction she was feeling for him. He leaned closer and smirked, having the girl under his spell. "How about I drive you home before any more reckless drivers pass through?" He looked at her before backing off and heading around to the driver's side. "You can bring the pup." He said opening the door and looking at her.

Elena felt like she was in a trance. She thought he was going to kiss her, in fact she was begging for him to kiss her, but when he walked away it took a few seconds for his next words to register. Once she did, she turned and looked at him before walking over to the passenger's side.

"Yes, please…erm…thanks" She said awkwardly as she got the pup to get into the blue Camaro. Elena slid in next as she felt the heat radiating off of her body, her cheeks flush.

"Where am I taking you?" He asked as he got in and started the engine. Elena gave Damon directions and the whole car ride to her house was silent, a tension that she was sure she was imagining filling the air.

Once they arrived at her house, she got out and let out the dog. She wasn't sure what she would do with it, but could see that this dog had an attachment to her. Once it was out she shut the door and leaned in the window. "Thanks for the ride Damon. Maybe I will see you around town?" She asked and smiled at him as he looked over casually.

"Yeah, maybe. I plan on sticking around for awhile." She nodded as he smirked. "See you around, Elena." His name rolled off his tongue and his velvet voice was driving her wild. She saw that he looked ahead and took that as her signal to walk to her front porch. She let the dog inside the house and was about to go in herself when she heard footsteps approaching. She turned and saw Damon quickly walking up to her.

"Damon…" She started to ask what he was doing when he quickly grabbed her face and kissed her. The kiss was passionate and intense. Their lips synced together perfectly as she put her hands around his wrists. He slid his tongue along the entrance of her mouth and Elena opened her lips, accepting as he slid his tongue into her mouth, massaging his tongue with her. Elena couldn't help the small moan that escaped her mouth as her hands eased to his neck. She pressed her chest against his and heard a growl escape Damon's throat. He started to push her towards the door and Elena had no objection, pulling him along with her.

It was then that his phone went off and he groaned, pulling away. Elena couldn't see the number on the phone and looked at Damon and saw that he was smirking at her, the disappointment in his eyes.

"Duty calls." He said and he pressed a firm kiss to Elena's lips once more and gazed into her doe eyes. "Goodnight Elena." Damon said as he stepped back slowly and held her gaze for a few more moments before turning and walking off the porch and back to his car.

It wasn't until his car pulled away that Elena went inside. She was shell-shocked, unable to believe what just happened. She had just kissed a total stranger, and somehow she wanted more.

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The next morning, Elena had to be up early for another shift at the hospital. She had gotten Jenna to agree to watch the puppy that Elena was growing attached to herself. After Damon had left the night before, Elena had to drive to a twenty four hour store to buy the puppy some food. She was tired, but Elena was used to not getting much sleep.

When she arrived at work, the halls were buzzing with nurses talking about the sexy new doctor that had arrived in town. Elena knew that they would be gaining a doctor and she knew that they needed it with the increase in crime in town. She smiled shaking her head when hearing the nurses gossip. They knew that romance in the workplace was strictly forbidden after an incident where two doctors had been hooking up in and empty triage room while the patient they were supposed to be focusing on nearly lost their life.

A fellow doctor named Meredith Fell had walked up to her as Elena was pouring herself a cup of coffee. "So, have you seen the new doctor yet?" She smiled, her eyes wide. "He's dreamy and he's a Salvatore." The Salvatore's were a big name in Mystic Falls, well known to be on the Founder's Council. The only thing she had ever heard about them was that Zach Salvatore had died about a month ago.

Elena laughed and shook her head. "No, but I know that everyone is talking about him."

Meredith nodded and looked over a clipboard she was holding. "And with good reason." She looked up. "I gotta go. I've got a little kid with a broken arm and possible concussion."

Meredith walked out and Elena was alone in the coffee room. She had been early and her shift didn't start for another ten minutes. She need her coffee as tired as she was when her mind drifted back to Damon. She was leaning against the counter, not facing the doorway as it opened when she heard the laugh that belonged to that velvety voice she had heard last night.

Elena turned around and looked at him as she saw him remove a stethoscope from around his neck, not looking up. He noticed a presence in the room though and introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Damon Salvatore. I'm the new doct…" He looked up. "Elena?" His face was as stunned as hers.

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**So this was an idea that I couldn't get out of my head. I have writers block in my other stories as the show was cancelled. I do plan on updating them soon but I just needed to get this idea out. I will update regularly as Delena is my OTP and I have wanted to write them for so long. **

**Keep in mind, this is the prologue. The story will officially start rolling in the next chapter, that is if you like it well enough for me to continue. I already have the story mapped out and even have just a bit written. Let me know if I should continue. Also, please forgive me if there are any mistakes in writing. It's nearly eight am. I will fix any errors when I get back online. Thank you for reading! Reviews are love! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for the great reviews! I appreciate them all. I love reading them so don't be shy! I hope you enjoy the second chapter. I've made a trailer for this fic. It can be found on my profile if you'd like to have a look to see what all this fanfic is going to be about. It's going to get intense, but right now let's enjoy the calm before the storm.**

**The storyline is now progressing. Enjoy!**

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_She was leaning against the counter, not facing the doorway as it opened when she heard the laugh that belonged to that velvety voice she had heard last night._

_Elena turned around and looked at him as she saw him remove a stethoscope from around his neck, not looking up. He noticed a presence in the room though and introduced himself._

_"Hi, I'm Damon Salvatore. I'm the new doct…" He looked up. "Elena?" His face was as stunned as hers._

Elena's mouth opened in shock when she saw Damon walk into the coffee room. His expression was the same, neither expecting to see each other. It was then that Damon's shocked expression turned into a slight smirk, similar to one that he had worn the night before.

"Hello Elena." He said as he walked over to her. "Fancy seeing you here, I didn't know you were a nurse."

Elena's eyebrows rose at his assumption and she tightened her lips into a thin line. "I'm actually a doctor Damon." She said firmly, receiving a chuckle in return.

"My bad." He held his hands up in defense as he walked over to her and once he was in front of her he went in for a quick kiss, shocked to find that Elena pulled away. "What's the matter, no kiss for me today?"

"No Damon. We can't." Her voice was still firm.

"You seemed to enjoy it last night." He wiggled his eyebrows and Elena smiled a little, her cheeks filling with cover. It was obvious that Damon didn't know about the rules at the hospital.

"That may be so but that can never happen again." She said as he sent her a questioning look and Elena continued. "Okay so a few weeks ago two of the doctors that used to work here were seeing each other. They let it get in the way of their work and were found hooking up in a triage room while they should have been operating on a patient." She nodded, sipping her coffee. "The patient nearly lost their life because of them. So since then, the higher ups have forbidden any type of romantic relationships between coworkers. It's automatic termination if you're caught."

Damon listened to her and once she was done he looked at her. "Well, I am very serious about my job but I also am very slick…in more ways than one might I add." He teased, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Elena rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Well, I am very serious about my job as well and I can for sure tell you that I will not be getting involved with a coworker, regardless of whether or not we had known we'd be working together." She set her cup down and went over to change into her coat and Damon followed her.

"Hey now, I'm sure there is something we can work out." He looked at her and his gaze from the blue eyes shook her right to her core.

"I'm sorry Damon…but it's not going to happen." She swallowed and let her eyes wander in various parts of the room before returning her eyes back to his. "In fact, last night never happened either. It will make it easier if we just forget about it and move on." She said firmly, regretting her decision immediately.

"Elena." He said, hurt flashed through his eyes as he tilted his head and looked at her. "Are you really going to make that decision?" Now he looked more angry then hurt.

"I don't have time for this Damon. I have patients." She said as she went to walk past him but he stopped her by grabbing her and tugging her back gently.

"If you want to forget it happened fine, but I can't." He looked into her brown eyes and before Elena could respond Caroline, Elena's best friend who happened to be a nurse there at the hospital walked in. Damon let go of her quickly and Elena ran her fingers through her hair nervously.

"Elena, there's a patient, a young boy who may have appendicitis." Caroline looked at the proximity of Damon and Elena and how close they had been. She smiled at them as Elena quickly looked to Damon and then back to her.

"Thank you Caroline. I'm on it." She nodded and quickly strode out of the room knowing that the conversation between her and Damon had not been over.

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It was a long day for Elena and she had managed to avoid Damon throughout her twelve hour shift. Once it was over, Elena was happy that the ER wasn't full of patients. She didn't feel like working overtime. She had so much on her mind and so much other work she had to do, that by the time her shift was over she was worn out. Thankfully, Elena had the whole night off and she didn't have to work until six pm tomorrow. She'd finally have some time to just relax.

Elena drove from the hospital to the Mystic Grill. It was only a few minutes up the road and Elena decided she would pick up something rather than having to cook. Jenna had called and told her she was going out on a date with her boyfriend, Alaric. Elena didn't have to worry about making sure her Aunt wanted something to eat and Jenna had explained that the golden retriever puppy was housebroken and she took him out and fed him before leaving. This gave Elena some time before having to go right home.

As she walked into the grill, she hadn't noticed the raven haired man sitting at the bar as he took a shot of whiskey. He noticed her though. He eyed her as she walked to a table and sat down. It was then that she felt his eyes burning into her that she looked up and caught his gaze. She let out a sigh and put her chin in her hand and looked around.

"Great." She mumbled, knowing that any second they'd be continuing their conversation from earlier. She tried to look as disinterested as possible as he sauntered over to her table but on the inside all she wanted to do was be near him.

"Hello again, Elena." Just the simple way of how her name rolled off his tongue sent Elena's mind wandering.

"Damon." She nodded as he took a seat across from her with that same casual smirk plastered on his face. "That wasn't an invitation to sit."

"Yeah well, I'm not one to take orders." He shrugged. "Now, let's get back to our prior conversation shall we?" He set his half empty glass of scotch on the table and looked at her.

"We kissed Elena and had my phone not gone off I'm sure it would have gone further." He leaned in, speaking in a hushed tone as Elena rose her eyebrows.

"Oh so you assume that I'd sleep with you?" She placed her hands down on the table. Damon knew how to get her going and they'd barely known eachother.

"You said it, not me." He smirked again as Elena took a breath and let it out sharply.

"Damon, I'm not in the mood to be playing games." She started. She was about to go into a lecture but Damon snapped back.

"And neither am I, Elena. Let me finish." His eyes narrowed before softening again. "We kissed Elena, we had a wonderful talk. There's something between us and you know it. You can't tell me you want to forget what happened last night." His voice was low, almost pleading but more questioning.

"No, I don't want to forget it Damon." She said and looked down at her hands. It was then that Damon reached over and lightly touched the tip of her fingers. Elena's heart sped up and she smiled to herself but as reality set in, Elena retracted her hand so quickly as if she were avoiding boiling water.

"We can't. I'm not losing my job. It doesn't matter what happened last night Damon." She looked at him sternly and went to stand up. "I'm sorry."

"Wait." He stood up with her. "What if we just explained to the higher ups about how we didn't know?"

"Even if they did believe us they tell one of us to resign." She shrugged. "It's not as if I want to avoid you, I just have to. My job is my life."

"What if we carried on in secret? As I said before" He took a step closer. "I'm very slick." He winked and wiggled his eyebrows as Elena backed up and walked outside of the grill, away from people that could overhear them. Once they were outside, Elena whipped around.

"We work together Damon. That makes us colleagues. Nothing more, got it? So I think you should stop with the flirty little comments and that eye thing that you do."

"What eye thing?" Damon smirked and waggled his eyebrows again as Elena rolled her eyes. Damon caught onto the small smile that formed on her lips just before she glared at him.

"I mean it Damon" She looked at him firmly. "End of discussion." With that, Elena turned and walked over to her car and got in, glancing over at him before driving off. She had never even gotten her food.

Damon watched as her car drove off. He'd admit that in the beginning Elena was just another harmful girl. She could be fun. As time went on, he realized that not only did he like this girl but a part of him was starting to grow feelings for her and Damon Salvatore did not do feelings.

When Elena got home, she was starved and her mind was even more scrambled than it had been all day. Damon challenged her and she loved it, but she also knew she had to stay away. No matter what, her job meant more to her. She had worked so hard and Mystic Falls Hospital was the only hospital in town. This town was her home; she had already lost too much in her life. Here she was close with her friends, and what she had left of her family. She couldn't bear to be away from them any longer.

Elena still wasn't in the mood to cook so she took a microwave dinner from out of the freezer, tore off the plastic and put it in. The young golden retriever dog was wagging his tail as he watched her and Elena smiled, walking over to him.

"Hey buddy." She smiled and pet his head, kneeling beside him. "We really gotta figure out a name for you." She laughed as she scratched behind his ears and continued to ruffle his fur.

Elena spent the evening on the couch with her new friend, contemplating names as she watched a couple of thriller movies. She needed a genre that would keep her mind off of Damon, but even the scariest movie made her think of him and how his arms could wrap around her whenever she got scared. It was useless. She just couldn't get him off of her mind. She got up from the couch and forced herself upstairs and into bed.

* * *

The next morning, Elena woke up and decided that she would take a walk. It had been a while since she had last visited her parents.

When she got to the cemetery, Elena couldn't help the tears that escaped her eyes as she knelt by her parent's graves.

"Mom, I wish you were here. I need your advice and I miss you and dad so much. I'm so sorry I asked you to pick me up from the party that night." She cried. It was true. Elena blamed herself for her parents death, it was part of the reason she became a doctor. She felt responsible and guilty. Being a doctor made it hurt less as she saved lives day by day.

When she left the cemetery, she bumped into a green eyed man. Elena had never seen him before.

"Oh sorry, I'm such a clutz." She laughed and he smiled at her. Elena had to admit that he was attractive, but he was nothing compared to Damon.

"No…no it's okay." He smiled still. "You have something in your…here." He reached out and pulled a leaf from her hair and Elena looked at him, tucking the loose strand casually behind her ear.

"Oh thanks." She smiled, embarrassed. "I'm Elena."

"I'm Stefan." He smiled back kindly at her. Elena had no idea that this man was Damon's little brother.

Little did the two of them know, Damon had been on a morning jog and witnessed the encounter and he wasn't too happy.

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**Thank you for reading and please review! They are what keeps my inspiration going. I have done daily updates before and what kept them coming were the high amounts of reviews that I got. They were amazing and I'd love to see that on this story as well. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back with a new chapter. In case you guys don't remember what the info on this story is, this is an all human fanfic. I know one of you asked that so I'm just clearing it up. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I'm not sure if I'm very happy with it.**

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_"I'm Elena."_

_"I'm Stefan." He smiled back kindly at her. Elena had no idea that this man was Damon's little brother._

_Little did the two of them know, Damon had been on a morning jog and witnessed the encounter and he wasn't too happy._

"So Stefan…" She looked at him, never seeing him around town until now…and near a cemetery at that. "Are you new to Mystic Falls?"

"Well, not really, but kind of." He laughed and Elena gave him a weird look. "I have family here. I came back to visit and decided to stay." He explained.

The two began walking in the direction that Damon had been watching from just a moment ago. Damon looked around and decided that he wasn't going to hide or run away. Instead, he just started jogging again, this time in the direction of Elena and Stefan.

They had been talking when they both looked up and saw Damon jogging towards them, slowing down as he approached. Elena had no idea that the two of them knew each other and figured Damon was stopping just because he saw her.

"Well hello Elena." He said, his face twisting into his signature smirk. He then looked to Stefan and nodded. "Stefan." His voice wasn't very friendly and Elena caught onto that.

"You two know each other?" Elena asked with a confused look on her face.

"Damon's my brother. How do you two know each other?" Stefan asked and Elena was shocked that they were related and Elena could tell it was Damon that was about to answer his question by the look on his face. Elena knew it was best to cut whatever he was going to say off.

"We work together." She said quickly. "At the hospital." She gave Damon a pointed look and he returned the look, trying to hide his anger. Stefan wasn't stupid and he could tell that his brother had feelings for this girl. He usually knew the look that he got when he wanted something, and from the look on Damon's face it was clearly obvious.

"Oh, I see." He smiled, twitching his lips upward as he glanced at Damon.

To Elena, the conversation had become extremely awkward, very quickly. She had no idea what to say and whatever was between the two brothers was thickening.

"So look, I'm gonna go." She looked in the other direction, pointing back with her thumb. "It was nice to meet you Stefan." She nodded and smiled before looking at Damon. "Damon." She said his name with dismissal and this made Stefan smile even more as Damon gritted his teeth. As Elena walked away, Damon turned to look at Stefan and narrowed his eyes.

"I know what you're thinking and I strongly advise that you back off." Damon said as he stepped closer.

"What? I'm not thinking anything Damon." He laughed. "I mean, there isn't something going on between the two of you is there?" He crossed his arms and looked at him with a small smile playing on his lips. "Because if there is, I'll back off but if not then I don't see what the problem would be."

Damon opened his mouth and was about to tell Stefan that something was going on, but thought back to the rules at work. If Stefan opened his mouth and word got around, it would probably cost him or Elena their job. He shut his mouth and let out a long breath through his nose, his lips tightened in a firm line.

The two brothers did not have the best relationship. It had been fractured many years ago by their father. Stefan was the golden boy, even though he had done nothing in his life as far as Damon was concerned. Damon always tried to gain his father's approval and impress him, but it was always Stefan. Even when Damon had graduated college and told his father he was planning on going to med school, his father would put him down. He didn't believe he would be successful. Before Damon could try to prove himself, his father died of a heart attack. In his father's eyes, he loved Stefan more. He was his father's pride and joy. It was always Stefan, even in the end when Stefan had only gone to college for two years to quit and work on a novel, which had yet to surface.

Damon knew what Stefan was. He was a liar. He knew he didn't want to write. He had only occasionally seen Stefan write in a journal throughout the years. Writing wasn't what he was into, it was fighting. He had constantly gone out at night to watch MMA fights and sometimes even to get in on them. He saw right through his brother, yet he was the better son.

Stefan smiled when Damon didn't have an answer for him. "Pretty girl, it's too bad really." He said in a way that made Damon want to cringe. There was something odd about his brother, he never knew what but he knew for sure that he couldn't trust him. "Well anyways brother, I'll see you at home. I have some things I need to do." He patted Damon's shoulder and walked off, Damon turning to watch him.

It was then that Damon realized that his fists were clenched together by his sides. His hands were numb they were clenched together so hard. He took a breath, shaking the numbness out and looked around, knowing he couldn't allow Stefan to have Elena. He wasn't sure what these feelings meant, but he knew that it was definitely something that he was going to act on.

* * *

Later that night, Damon had been working. He had yet to come across Elena. Finally, when he was taking a break he made his way to the coffee room and spotted her. She was sitting with Dr. Fell in a conversation. He needed to talk to her, alone. To make it look like it was work related he glanced down at his clipboard, pretending to read something. He walked in and looked up as if he had found something.

"Oh there you are." He said smiling at both of them. "Sorry Dr. Fell, Dr. Gilbert may I speak with you? I'm going over some papers about one of your patients." He looked at her, trying to seem nonchalant.

Elena saw right through him but knew that if she refused it would look fishy. "Oh yeah sure." She stood up. "I'll be back Meredith." She smiled and followed Damon out into the hospital hallway.

"What is this about Damon?" He walked next to him, speaking in a hurried hushed tone. The hallway was pretty full so Damon continued walking.

"It's about a diagnosis you made on one of your patients. I think I may have a solution that could better help with their recovery." He explained, making it all up in case there had been people listening.

He walked them down the halls until he got into the testing areas of the hospital. He walked into an empty lab that looked as though it hadn't been used in ages. Elena whipped around once he shut the door.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get me fired?" She started, fury in her voice as she held her hands out and moved them around as she spoke. "I mean really, how idiotic can you be? Stepping into the work room and calling me out. Are you trying to look suspicious Damon? You have one minute to tell me what you really want…"

"Are you done yet?" Damon leaned against the door and sighed, finally having to cut her off. He saw her eyes widen and her body jump a little when he cut her off.

"No, I'm not Damon. This is…" Damon had had enough. It was clear that she wasn't going to stop talking so Damon advanced towards her, this time cutting her off in a passionate lip lock.

He kissed her hard and pulled her towards him. His hands gripped onto her waist and he loved that she wasn't denying him. She was kissing him back. He pushed her back against the wall as her arms wrapped around his neck. He heard her moan into the kiss causing Damon's need for her to grow. He pressed his body against hers and ground his lower parts against hers as he ran his hands greedily up her thighs. He heard her say his name and moved to her neck, running his tongue down to her collarbone and placing hungry kisses upon it. He heard his name again as he felt her hands push against his shoulders.

"Damon stop." She said. She was breathless as she held onto his shoulders, his hands back on her tiny waist now. "We can't do this."

"Why not?" He groaned and pulled her closer to him only to have Elena push his shoulders more.

"Because Damon, we work together. We get caught, we get fired. This needs to end and it needs to end now." Hearing her words he let go of her and sighed.

"Elena…I'm sorry. I just…I like you. I want you." He said running a hand through his hair, never being one to admit his feelings.

"I know, but sometimes we can't always get what we want." She looked at him and he could see the regret in her eyes as well. "This thing between us…it's over for good Damon." She didn't look at him as she said this, but as soon as she did she walked out of the room leaving Damon there to put himself back together again.

When Elena got back to the workroom, Meredith was still there. She walked over to her and took a seat across from her. "Sorry about that."

"No it's fine. Did you and Dr. Salvatore get everything worked out?" She asked curiously, causing Elena to look up quickly.

"Oh…yeah. Yeah, everything has been worked out with the patient." Her mind was still cloudy from what had just happened as she quickly changed the subject. "So are you going to the Founder's Ball tomorrow?"

"I wish." She responded. "My shift overlays with it but if I could I would. What about you?" She took a sip of her coffee and snacked on some chips from the vending machine.

"Yeah, I'm going. It will be nice to see the Lockwood's." She said calmly. She knew that the Salvatore's were also founding families and wondered if she would be seeing Damon there. She hoped that he would be working because it was getting hard for Elena to resist him. Then her mind drifted to Stefan. She didn't like him like that but she wondered why there seemed to be so much tension between the two brothers. Damon had been so cold towards him and Elena couldn't help but notice the slightest bit of arrogance that Stefan had towards Damon.

Elena worked through her shift and when she got home she crashed. She had needed to talk to Jenna, but Elena's body and mind were both so exhausted she didn't even make it to her bed. Instead, she slept on the couch. The next morning she woke up to the sound of the doorbell.

She groggily got up and smoothed out her hair before opening the door. When she opened, the person she didn't expect to be there was Stefan.

"Um…hey Stefan." She furrowed her brow in confusion. "How did you know where I lived?"

Stefan smiled at her. "One of the Lockwood's gave it to me." He explained. "I'm sorry this probably seems like I'm some crazy person but I was wondering if I could escort you to the Founder's party today?" He asked and Elena's face went blank.

"Oh actually I…" She started. She wasn't going to go out with Stefan after feeling the way she did with Damon. It was wrong and she wasn't comfortable with it.

"Unless of course you're seeing someone?" He asked and he had her. Elena couldn't lie. If she showed up to the party alone it would look suspicious. She had already sent her RSVP in so not showing up at all would probably raise a lot of questions. Elena wanted to be careful and if it meant going with Damon's brother then she would. She would be friendly, but she would not lead him on in any way.

* * *

**So there's chapter three guys. I hope you enjoyed it! There will be no Stelena in this fic. It may seem like it but trust me, I'm writing the story. This is all Delena. If you watch the trailer I uploaded to YouTube (you can find it on my profile) you will see what I mean. Anyways, reviews are what keeps me going and I see so many of you have this story on alert but there are not that many reviews for two chapters. Please review, it really helps the inspiration flow and encourages me to keep updating this story daily. I don't know of really any writers that update daily either so please review! I love reading your feedback! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! I'm sorry it's been a few days since I last updated but it's been so hard to find a moment to write. I just got two puppies and they are a handful! Haha, but they are just so cute! Anyways, I won't delay you any longer. Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

_"Unless of course you're seeing someone?" He asked and he had her. Elena couldn't lie. If she showed up to the party alone it would look suspicious. She had already sent her RSVP in so not showing up at all would probably raise a lot of questions. Elena wanted to be careful and if it meant going with Damon's brother then she would. She would be friendly, but she would not lead him on in any way._

Once Elena had reluctantly agreed to go with Stefan, he had left telling her he would be back just before five o'clock to escort her. To say the least, Elena was not happy. It was bad enough that she had feelings for one brother; going out with the other was not a good idea. Elena told herself she should have just made up some excuse that she wasn't going or she wasn't feeling well, but Elena didn't have the heart to do it. Stefan seemed like such a nice guy and Elena was not a very good liar.

She showered and straightened her hair, styling it so she wore it half up and half down. She changed into a light purple cocktail dress and put on a pair of pearl colored heels. Once she was ready, it was almost a quarter to five when she went downstairs. Jenna had already left as she was spending a lot of time with her boyfriend Alaric. Elena made a mental note to herself that she needed to meet this man who had stolen Jenna away from her.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Elena braced herself, knowing it would be Stefan. She walked over slowly and took a breath before opening the door. When she saw him in his suit and tie she smiled at him.

"Hey." She smiled as he looked her over.

"You look beautiful." He replied. "Are you ready to go?"

Elena gave Stefan a small smile and nodded as she stepped outside onto her porch, shutting the door behind her.

It was as though the whole town was at the Founder's party. Elena and Stefan had made small talk on the way there but as soon as they got there they were each talking to the many people at the party. One of the first to greet them was Carol Salvatore. At one point, Stefan had managed to snake his arm around Elena's waist. She let it slide. She liked Stefan but she liked his brother a lot more and told herself she was not going to put herself in between the two of them.

About an hour into the party, Stefan had asked her to dance. Elena accepted. She hadn't seen Damon at the party so she assumed he had been on call at the hospital. Stefan and Elena had not even been halfway through their first dance when Elena caught the ice blue stare through her peripheral vision.

She had one hand in Stefan's and another on his shoulder. Stefan had his other hand on the small of her back and would every so often bring her closer. Elena turned her head in the direction in which Damon was standing. He stood there in a dashing black suit with a skinny black tie. He had a glass of champagne in his hand and wore a pained expression. However, when Elena locked eyes with him, his looked turned into one that made it look like he could care less. Elena saw right past it though.

"I think I'm going to get a glass of champagne." Elena let her hand fall from Stefan's shoulder but felt his hand tighten his hold on hers as he possessively pulled her closer, only to push her out and spin her, pulling her real close when she spun back. Elena laughed nervously and looked at Stefan, letting herself glance at Damon only to see him roll his eyes and shake his head slightly as he downed his champagne.

"Oh come on, we've only just begun to dance." He smiled and Elena swallowed and nodded her head, giving in.

* * *

"Your brother and that Gilbert girl are cute together." A blonde had spoken. Damon rolled his eyes yet again and didn't even look at her.

"Don't talk please." He muttered and the girl stood beside him.

"Wait…you like her don't you?" She asked with a smile creeping onto her face. Damon continued to ignore her. She didn't care. She just continued to speak. "I'm Rebekah. You know, Rebekah Mikaelson?"

This caught his attention. The Mikaelson's were the richest family in town. The majority of people in town had only paid them any attention because of their money and the rumors. They were a very shady family and it was best to never cross any of them. Those rumors really only surrounded three of the siblings out of the five. Klaus, Elijah, and Kol Mikaelson were the shadiest men in town. If Mystic Falls weren't so small, people would believe they were mob affiliated.

"Damon…Damon Salvatore." He smirked as he turned towards her.

"I know who you are; everyone knows who the Salvatore's are in this god forsaken town." She said with an edge to her voice. She sounded peeved and uninterested, yet she continued to stand there.

Elena watched as Damon began to talk to some blonde and could feel the jealous creeping up her spine. A few minutes later she bit her tongue and tried to hide her anger as she saw Damon put his arm around the blonde's waist and they walked off together.

* * *

"I hope Damon doesn't drive you too crazy at work?" Stefan asked and Elena averted her attention back to him. He made her laugh slightly, Damon actually drove her insane but Elena wasn't about to tell Stefan that.

"No, actually he is very professional." She said and smiled slightly. "What is it between the two of you anyways?" She decided to ask. "I know things were a bit tense when the two of you ran into each other that day by the cemetery."

"Let's just say that sibling rivalry is a curse in the Salvatore family. Not something I like to talk about. Damon was always…" He paused as if looking for the right word. "Very jealous of the relationship I had with our parents, my father mainly. He was also very vindictive and calculated growing up. He likes to play games and cause trouble." Stefan told her. It was far from the truth. In fact it was all a lie, but Elena had no idea as she continued to dance with him. She decided to change the subject.

"So tell me about you." She smiled. "You're the mystery guy and I want to take a chance to get to know you." She said. It was true. She had taken a liking to Stefan, especially after hearing what he told her about Damon. She didn't want to jump to conclusions though and Stefan was still not somebody that she wanted to pursue. She didn't want to pursue anyone in fact, the only person being Damon. He consumed her, but she knew it wouldn't happen. Not unless she quit her job and she was not willing to do that just because of an infatuation.

Stefan told Elena all about his writing. He told her that he had dropped out of college to pursue writing and then continued to lie and tell her that his work was being reviewed by his publisher at the moment. She believed him; she didn't think he would have any reason to lie to her. They continued to get to know one another as the night continued. It wasn't until Stefan drove her home that he followed her to the door.

"I had a great time tonight." She smiled. "Thank you for bringing me home." She said as Stefan smiled and fixed his jacket.

"No problem Elena." He smiled, taking a step towards her, throwing her off guard a bit. "You are quite the catch, I can see why my brother likes you." He said coldly.

"What? What do you mean? There's nothing betwe…" She started defending herself but Stefan laughed lightly and her off.

"I never said there was…all I'm saying is I can see why he says you are a great coworker." He continued. Damon and Stefan had never even talked to Elena. Stefan had been fishing out his suspicions and it seemed to him he had been right. Elena let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding and nodded.

"Oh." She laughed nervously. "Well, Damon is a wonderful doctor. He is very good at what he does."

"Yes, I know Elena. Damon's always been very concentrated and persistent with his work." He said coldly again. Elena didn't say a thing, she could sense the bitterness in his voice with his words. "Well, I should probably go." He stepped towards her, making it look as though he was heading towards the steps. "Goodnight Elena." He smiled and then out of nowhere he grabbed her face and roughly kissed her lips.

Elena puts her hands on his wrists and tried to pull back. "Stefan, what are you doing?"

"I just assumed, I mean…you're single and we had a great time." He continued to hold her face as Elena continued to strain herself away from him.

"Yes, we did, but I'm sorry Stefan. I'm just not ready to be in a relationship." She managed to pull from him. "I had a very good time tonight, as friends…but I think that it's time we say goodnight." She looked at him. "Goodnight Stefan." She dismissed as she walked inside and closed the door, leaving Stefan to stand dumbfounded on the porch. He wasn't used to girls turning him down.

* * *

"Kiss me, be my distraction." Damon told her as he pressed his lips against Rebekah's. She would just not shut up, and it was annoying Damon to no end. She had been the one to convince him to go back to his place. It had been the first time a woman actually had to convince him to have sex. The kiss grew more heated as she shoved his jacket down his arms and Damon quickly tossed it carelessly. He wrapped his fingers in her hair and pulled her closer as she whipped his tie of his neck and started to unbutton his shirt. She then roughly pushed him against the wooden wall as Damon grabbed onto her and fisted her hair into his hand, pulling it as he kissed her. It was when he heard her moan and her hands grasping at his chest that he put his hand in between them.

"I can't do this. You need to leave." He said and she growled, fixing her dress.

"Is this because of the Gilbert girl?" She said, annoyance in her voice.

"That's really none of your business now is it? Let's pretend this never happened. No need to make a big deal out of it." He said as he began walking her to the door.

"Why so that girl will never find out?" She snickered. "I'm sure you'll come calling soon enough." She said flatly as they reached the door.

"Don't hold your breath." He replied irritably with a fake smile.

* * *

Elena could not stop thinking about Damon. It was the only thing on her mind. She felt bad that Damon probably got the message that her and Stefan were together. It wasn't true. What was true was the amount of jealousy that coursed through her when she saw him with another woman. It made her so envious that before she knew what she was doing she was standing in front of the Salvatore mansion. It wasn't hard to find. Everyone in town knew where it was. Other than the Lockwood estate, the Salvatore mansion was the biggest house in town.

Before she could knock the door opened and Elena was in shock of what she saw. The blonde from earlier was standing next to a shirtless Damon. Her eyes widened not having to guess what had been going on. The fake smile immediately fell from Damon's face as Rebekah's expression grew into a satisfactory smirk. She looked at Damon and then walked out, smirking at Elena as she walked by. Elena watched her and then turned to Damon. He swallowed and walked away from the door, leaving it as an open invitation for Elena. He was confused as to why she was there in the first place. She followed him into the main room and was none too pleased.

"What the hell? I hurt your feelings and you lash out at me?" She asked, her facial expression unreadable to Damon. It was a cross between anger, hurt and confusion. He found his shirt and put it back on, leaving it unbuttoned.

"Please." He scoffed. "Don't be so cocky. You think my actions are based around you?" He walked over and grabbed a glass as he poured some bourbon into it. "For once since I got here, something I did had nothing to do with you." He said as she tilted her head and went to sigh as Damon smirked and raised his glass at her. She bit back tears and it was then that Damon thought about what it looked like to her with no shirt on as a random girl with a rumpled dress left. His features softened as he took a step towards her. "Elena…"

"No." She cut him off. "I don't want to hear it." She blinked the tears away, able to get rid of them before they could fall. "I'm not that surprised." She said harshly. She thought back to what Stefan had said about how Damon was like and with what she just saw; she was slowly starting to believe him.

"What are you doing here then?" He bit back. He was taken aback by her harsh words but refused to show it.

"I'm here to see Stefan." She lied.

"Of course you are." He rolled his eyes, muttering to himself how it was always Stefan. She couldn't hear him, but knew he had said something. Before she could ask, she heard another voice walk into the parlor.

"Hello Elena." Stefan said. He walked over to her with a smile and Elena returned it. "I didn't think I would see you again after what happened tonight." He said with sincerity, ignoring Damon's presence. Damon heard this and had a look of confusion on his face. This time he was the one to tilt his head at Elena, but she ignored it. He had wondered what happened between the two of them but it wasn't hard to figure out once Elena stepped closer to Stefan.

"I changed my mind." She smiled at Stefan and watched as Stefan's smile grew.

* * *

**There is chapter four of Breath of Life. Don't worry guys, this will definitely not be a Stelena fic. I can promise you this, besides I'm writing this. I already know what is going to happen. If you are still unsure, check out the trailer I made to this fic to get a taste of what is going to happen next. The link is in my profile. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please be kind and review! It helps inspire me! **

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	5. Chapter 5

_"Hello Elena." Stefan said. He walked over to her with a smile and Elena returned it. "I didn't think I would see you again after what happened tonight." He said with sincerity, ignoring Damon's presence. Damon heard this and had a look of confusion on his face. This time he was the one to tilt his head at Elena, but she ignored it. He had wondered what happened between the two of them but it wasn't hard to figure out once Elena stepped closer to Stefan._

_"I changed my mind." She smiled at Stefan and watched as Stefan's smile grew._

* * *

"You did?" He smiled and Elena held her hand up. She wanted to explain just what she meant.

"I did, but not what you think. I want…" She started but Stefan took one glance at his brother to see the pained expression on his face before smirking and cutting Elena off.

"Let's talk about this in private." He nodded towards Damon. Elena looked at him and went to speak again but Stefan's hand was on the small of her back, leading her out of the room. "Now, you say you changed your mind?" He asked once they were in the library.

"Yes…I want to be your friend." She told him, completely throwing his off guard.

"Friend?" He asked, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows. He couldn't believe Elena traveled all the way over to tell him he wanted to be his friend. He wasn't buying it.

"I know that is probably not what you were expecting…but I like you, as a friend. I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now." Elena told him. Even though she had not come over to see Stefan this was her way of letting him down easy. She knew that they would talk about it sooner or later so Elena took the opportunity to do so then.

"Okay…" Stefan's eyes wandered around in confusion. "So you came all the way over here to tell me that you want to be just friends?" He looked at the clock on the wall and then back to her. "You do realize that it's well after eleven right?"

"Yes…I realize that, but I couldn't stop thinking about how things ended and how I acted." Elena lied and Stefan saw right through it, but to him he thought of something other than the actual truth. "I wasn't expecting that you would kiss me."

"Okay, now that I will believe, but I don't believe that you want to be just friends." He said as he took a step closer to her. "I think you're just too afraid to admit how you feel, you're afraid of commitment, and you're afraid of falling for me." He told her in a matter of fact tone.

"No Stefan, I'm being honest. I'm not looking for anything serious, or even casual. I have a lot on my plate right now. Right now…I'm okay with friends." She said and smiled slightly, hoping her point was getting through to him. Stefan sighed and looked at her.

"Okay, then we can try this whole just friend's thing…but I think we could be something more than that." He told her and looked into her eyes.

Before Elena could respond, Stefan's cell began to ring. He held a finger up as if to say 'one moment' and took a step back as he answered.

"Yeah?" He asked, his voice anxious as Elena studied. "WHAT?" His tone turned into anger as a friend of his told him he lost one of his bigger bets, causing Elena to jump slightly. "What the hell do you mean no? You told me that it was a guarantee…I can't believe this!" He screamed into the phone and glanced at Elena, gritting his teeth. "Yeah, yeah whatever. I'll see you tomorrow." He hung up and clenched his hand tightly on his cell, forgetting Elena was even in the room as he flung the phone across it.

"Stefan?" Elena asked in a panicked voice, scared of his temper and watched as Stefan began to pace the room. "Stefan, what's wrong?" She asked again and this time Stefan looked at her.

"My publisher just called and they don't like the story. Any of it, it was turned down. Now I have to start from scratch!" He roared as he cleared some books off a table in a swift movement. He was an orbital liar. It came easy for him so of course Elena believed him and felt bad for him, hating to see anyone in so much stress. "You shouldn't be here. You should leave." He turned, not looking at her.

"I want to be your friend Stefan. I can be here for you." She started to carefully walk towards him. "You need to calm down. Just relax, everyone has a temper. I'm not judging you."

"I can't calm down Elena." He whipped around, causing Elena to stop in her tracks. "This is who I am."

"No, I won't believe that." She said. "Stefan, just let me help you. You need a friend."

"No Elena, that's not what I need and if that's what you think then you are an idiot." He spat at her as Elena's eyes widened in shock at his harshness. "What I need is from you is to be mine, but you are so bent up on yourself that you won't give in." He continued and Elena sighed.

"Okay, you're angry about your book so I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Stefan, everything is going to be fine. It all happens for a reason. Let me help you." She tells him and Stefan flips out, tossing a table over. Elena backed up a bit.

"STOP!" He yelled, pacing quicker. "You don't know a damn thing and I don't need you or anyone elses sympathy."

"Stefan, calm down! I'm only trying to help you. I kn-" Before Elena could continue anymore Stefan advanced on her and she yelped as she felt him push her into the wall.

"I SAID STOP!" He said as he slammed a frightened Elena, shaking her. "Just shut up!" He fumed as Elena began to hyperventilate. She pushed against him.

"Stefan, let me go." She pushed against him and after a few moments managed to get out of his grasp. She was ready to run when he grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. She whined and felt her hand go numb. "Stefan, please! You're hurting me!" She whined, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Suddenly, Stefan's grasp on her wrist loosened and he let go. The anger in his eyes vanished and changed to one of guilt. "Elena, I'm so sorry." He pleaded. "So so sorry, I'm sorry." He continued to repeat over and over. It was then Elena realized that Stefan had no control over his actions. He didn't mean to inflict harm on her or act so violently. She wanted to ask him if he was bipolar, but Elena already knew the answer. Besides, she didn't want to ask. She didn't want to risk setting him off again.

"I should go." She said, still breathing heavily.

"Elena, please don't. I didn't mean to." He pleaded again. "Please forgive me."

"I do…I just, I need to go home. We can talk tomorrow though. I promise." She gave him a small smile. She felt horrible for him, but at the same time she knew he was a loose cannon. She nodded and walked backwards a few steps, turning slowly and heading for the main door.

She heard Damon's voice and looked up and saw him in the parlor, another glass of bourbon in his hand. She was still upset from what she'd seen earlier, and then having to deal with Stefan so she shook her head and walked out the door.

* * *

The next morning, Elena was busy with early morning patients. Lots of children had been coming in since the news had been stirring up so many viruses. A lot of parents were overly worried and wanted their children checked out immediately since appointments at the doctors' offices were filling up.

Elena had just dropped a blood sample off in the lab and was on her way back when she felt someone tug her into an empty lab room. She gasped but relaxed once she saw it had been Damon and it was the same room they had been in the day they made out.

"Damon." She groaned. "I'm busy." She looked at him, crossing her arms.

"I need to talk to you." He locked the door and brought her over to the other side of the room where they couldn't be seen if someone did try to walk in.

"Well I don't want to talk to you." She sighed and looked at him.

"Too bad." He growled and Elena admitted defeat, motioning for him to continue. "What you saw last night…it's not what you think."

"It looked pretty clear to me." She rolled her eyes, peeved as she shuffled her feet.

"We didn't sleep together. We may have kissed and it may have been headed that way but…" He stopped and looked at her. "I can't…" He put his hands on her hips and stepped closer. "Get you off of my mind. I want you Elena, and I've never felt this way. I've never been one to ever deny sex from a hot willing woman."

He said and Elena looked at him with a shocked expression. He was actually being honest with her and Elena wasn't sure what to do.

"Damon…there's something you should know." She started and continued on before Damon could stop her. "Stefan kissed me and I denied him. Last night, I changed my mind because I want to be his friend. I want to be your friend too Damon, I want…" This time she stopped and looked anywhere but him.

"What? What do you want Elena? Tell me." He urged her on. "I know that this thing between us is not something that is going to go away on its own." He ran his hands down her arms.

"We can't though Damon." She sighed and went to turn when he gently grabbed her wrists.

"We can figure something out Elena. There's no such thing as can't." He said as he studied her, letting his eyes roam her features. He glanced down at his hands around her wrists and furrowed his brow when he saw the bruise. He let go of her one hand as he gently held the bruised one, studying the black and blue fingerprint like bruises along her wrist.

"How did this happen?" He asked. "Who did this to you?" He looked at her, his voice concerned and Elena could see the concern in his eyes.

"It's nothing Damon. Just a misunderstanding." She gulped.

"Misunderstanding my ass. Nobody puts their hands on a woman, especially you. Now who did this?" He asked protectively. "I want to know Elena and I want you to know that you can trust me."

* * *

**Think she will tell him? What do you think will happen next? Leave your comments and opinions in the review section below. Thank you for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

_He glanced down at his hands around her wrists and furrowed his brow when he saw the bruise. He let go of her one hand as he gently held the bruised one, studying the black and blue fingerprint like bruises along her wrist._

_"How did this happen?" He asked. "Who did this to you?" He looked at her, his voice concerned and Elena could see the concern in his eyes._

_"It's nothing Damon. Just a misunderstanding." She gulped._

_"Misunderstanding my ass. Nobody puts their hands on a woman, especially you. Now who did this?" He asked protectively. "I want to know Elena and I want you to know that you can trust me."_

* * *

Elena couldn't tell him it was his brother. No, that would be horrible. She already knew the brothers didn't get along very much and she wasn't going to wedge them even further apart.

"It's nothing." She said defensively. "Seriously, Damon." She looked at him, wishing that he would just drop it. Damon wasn't giving up. Whoever had given these bruises to Elena had a strong hold on her and Damon could see in her eyes she was afraid.

"Nothing? Fingerprints for bruises are not nothing, Elena. Who did this to you?" He looked deeply into her eyes, furrowing his brow, running his fingers lightly across the bruises as Elena tried not to wince. She bit her lip and looked around the dreary old laboratory room.

"A patient grabbed my arm when I injected them okay?" She told him quickly. It was the first thing she could come up with that wasn't the truth.

"Elena…" He said softly, tilting his head. "You know I don't believe that." He was kind and gentle. It was odd how the two acted with each other given they'd barely known each other.

"Well, just…" She paused and sighed. "Just deal with it, Damon. I'm fine." She looked away, about to walk off when he grabbed her chin and brought her line of vision back to him.

"You may not want to tell me this time, but if it happens again, you can tell me. If you don't…" He stepped closer. "I will find out for myself and give that person a taste of their own medicine." Damon said seriously and Elena looked down. He lifted her chin once again and moved in for a kiss.

"Damon…" Elena stopped him, saying his name softly with regret. "You can't kiss me again." His deep and intense stare turned into a pained expression. Elena wanted to kiss him so badly, but deep down she knew it would only make their situation worse.

"Why not?" He asked quietly. His mind was spinning and all he wanted was the feel of her soft lips against his own. He couldn't get his mind off of her and it seemed nearly almost every thought he had, drifted to Elena throughout the day.

"Because…we can't continue like this. It hurts too much." She looked away. "It's hard enough already." Damon's expression softened.

"Elena…I didn't know you felt like this." He had known that the two of them had been attracted to each other, that much was obvious. Damon was also sure that he had feelings for her but Elena would always turn him away, he had no idea that she held possibly the same feelings in return.

"It doesn't matter. I've worked too hard to get this far in life just to let it crumble because…" She paused, swallowing her words.

"Because what?" He studied her closely. His brow furrowed in question although he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear her answer.

"Because of some guy." She swallowed again, letting her eyes drift around the room.

"Is that all I am to you? Just some guy?" He scoffed, shaking his head slightly. "For a moment there I thought you actually cared." He said sarcastically. "I guess I was wrong there." He turned to leave, but Elena stopped him.

"No, you're not just some guy Damon. I like you. Yes, I'm attracted to you. Is that what you wanted to hear?" She furrowed her brow. "But I'm not about to risk my job for someone that I barely know. For all we know, this could just be a physical attraction and nothing more."

He turned back and stepped closer to her. "Okay then let's get to know each other." He saw Elena sigh and continued on. "There's no rule that says we can't be friends is there?" He smirked, crossing his arms. "Is there?" He challenged as if he wanted to hear an excuse.

"Well, no…there's not, but" She started and just as soon he cut her off.

"No, there's not. No buts to it, Elena." He nodded firmly and looked at her. "Unless there is some reason you don't want to at least be friends, I don't see why we couldn't."

Elena simply nodded. She didn't like the idea of becoming friends with Damon. She wanted more, they both did. They admitted it even. Trying to be friends and remain as just friends was moving into dangerous territory.

"Okay then, friend." He smirked a one sided smile. "I will see you around." He said, turning and leaving the small and empty laboratory room.

* * *

The rest of the day, Elena couldn't keep her mind off the agreement that she and Damon had made. They were going to try to be friends. Elena already had an idea of where this was headed and knew that it wouldn't take very long until things got physical between the two of them again.

Shortly before she got off she decided that she was going to visit Jeremy. It had been a while since she had seen her brother and she wanted to make she he wasn't falling off the tracks again. According to what she had heard, Jeremy was doing fine. Great even. She wanted to see for herself though. She knew that a good sister wouldn't just take the words of others.

When Jeremy opened the door that night, Elena could tell just by looking at him that he was on something. She walked in, biting her tongue for the moment whilst looking around. They began to talk for a few minutes about normal things going on with their lives. They talked about his artwork, Elena's job at the hospital, and caught up with each other. Elena hadn't mentioned Damon and when Jeremy hadn't mentioned the reason he was being so fidgety she finally asked him.

"What is it this time?" She said, sitting back into the sofa. Jeremy gave her a confused expression and before he had a chance at denial Elena continued. "Don't play dumb with me Jeremy. I know you're on something. What is it, I know it's not just weed."

"I think it's time for you to leave. I'm not talking about this with you." He stood up from the couch, blocking her out and giving her a harsh look.

"Don't tell me what to do and don't avoid the conversation, Jeremy. I am done watching you continue to do this to yourself. Mom and dad are dead. I'm not going to say get over it because even I still haven't." She stood up, blinking away the memories. She didn't want to get emotional at a time like this. She needed to confront Jeremy. "I do think you should cope in another way."

Jeremy shook his head. "Yeah. Okay. Is that why you left town? You couldn't wait to get away and now you come back acting as if you can waltz into everybody's lives again as if you never left?"

Elena was taken aback by his harshness and cruel words. "Are you kidding me? I stayed until I thought you were okay to live your life, and was over this stage where you make yourself forget the pain. It's time to grow up Jeremy. You have no right to talk to me like that. I've always been there for you."

There was a loud knock at the door and Jeremy turned to answer it. Once he did, Elena got a glimpse at the man standing there. His hair was short and slightly curly. His face was rough and jagged, though his dimples were clear. He was nearly six feet tall and Elena had the feeling this was not a friendly visit.

Jeremy looked back at her before stepping outside the door. This only made Elena more curious as to who the man was so she walked closer to the door, trying to make out their words.

"Look, can we not do this now? Maybe we can meet later?" Jeremy said quietly, but Elena was able to make it out.

"No, we had a deal Jeremy. You owe me." She heard the other man speak. Everything from that point on was a muffled blur. It was until Elena heard something hit the door hard that she acted and opened it. Jeremy stumbling back into her a bit.

"Is there a problem?" She asked, only to be cut off quickly by Jeremy.

"Go inside." Jeremy warned, almost protectively. Elena looked at the green-eyed stranger to see his lips curving into a devilish smile. It wasn't the kind that put anyone at ease either.

"Who's this Jeremy?"

"I'm Elena, Jeremy's sister. Who the hell are you?" She crossed her arms and Jeremy widened his eyes at the way she talked to him, as if it were a sin. She didn't care. She wasn't one to ever take crap from people.

"I'm Klaus." He told her. "Klaus Mikaelson that is." Elena's tight lipped fury soon turned to one of shock and worry, especially for Jeremy. "Sister, is she?" He smiled, taking a step closer. Jeremy stepped in front of Elena.

"Leave her out of it. This has nothing to do with her." He stood protectively in front of her. Elena understood Jeremy's sense of protectiveness over her. Klaus Mikaelson and his brothers were bad news. She knew all about the things they had done. They were dealers, thieves, dangerous. Elena was sure they had been responsible for a few of the murders in Mystic Falls, even the ones that had never been found. It frightened her to know that Jeremy was involved with them in some way.

"Right." Klaus chuckled lightly. "Well, we'll discuss our arrangement later then. I'll see you in two weeks. I've got to go out of town to…collect. I have a feeling we'll be able to work something out that is better than our previous option." He looked right at Elena as he said this. It sent chills through her body. She didn't like how it sounded one bit as the man soon after walked away.

"What the fuck Jeremy?" Elena was furious. She couldn't believe things had gotten this bad.

"I don't want to hear it Elena. Go home." They were still standing in the hallway when Jeremy quickly walked back inside his apartment and slammed the door in her face. If it wasn't for the clicking of the lock she heard soon after, she would have barged back in.

* * *

When she got home, she was relieved to find Jenna hadn't gotten home from work yet. She knew she couldn't have been working at this hour and was most likely out with friends. Truth be told, she didn't think she could handle speaking to anybody at the time. Not when her mind was racing with the danger she knew Jeremy was in.

She wondered just how deep he had gotten with the Mikaelson's. She knew it had to have been very deep to get a personal visit from the eldest brother. Klaus was taken seriously. Everyone knew not to cross him. This only worried Elena more when she knew he had, that he had been taking some kind of drugs. She assumed Jeremy was in debt and that Klaus had come to collect payment. She felt lucky she had been there. She knew he had no money. Jeremy could have very well have ended up dead had it not been for her being there.

Elena nibbled on some leftovers that were in the fridge. She was too mentally exhausted from the day to possibly cook. Her mind drifted back to Damon when there was a knock at the door. It was ten o'clock, so it was pretty late for visitors. She opened the door to see Stefan. He gave her a partial smile.

"Stefan, hey." She smiled uneasily. She wasn't in the mood to see anybody and she didn't know why Stefan had come over.

"You never came over. I assumed I scared you off." He said, stepping in once Elena stood to the side.

"Oh wow. No, I'm so sorry. It's been such a long day, I completely forgot." It had been the truth. She had forgotten that she promised to see him after work today.

"It's okay." He nodded his head in understanding, putting his hands into his jean pockets. "Look, I really just wanted to apologize again for my behavior last night. I lost control and…" He sighed regretfully. "I just hope you don't think I'm a psychopath or something. I take my writing a little too seriously, so that phone call was not one I had been expecting."

"No, no Stefan. I get it. It's okay, you don't have to apologize to me." She smiled softly as they went to sit on the sofa. "I forgive you and I know you meant me no harm." She sat back into the couch and let out a soft sigh. "Sorry, I've just had an insane day." She rubbed her temples and looked at him.

"Anything you want to talk about?" He sat forward, folding his hands and resting his elbows on his knees.

"Not really. It's just my brother and some stress at work."

"None caused by my brother I hope." He laughed lightly, causing Elena to smile and shake her head.

"No, not at all." Now that Stefan had mentioned it, she started to think about Damon again. She wished she could talk to him right now. They had after all agreed to try out being friends.

However, that thought faded as Stefan eased back onto the couch he tilted his head towards the tv. "Maybe a movie to ease your mind?" He offered and Elena nodded.

"Sure." She smiled softly. She let Stefan flip through the channels until they found a movie. They had made small talk during commercials and about halfway through the movie Elena had fallen asleep.

It wasn't until she felt somebody laying her down on her bed that she opened her eyes, groggily. She put her hand on her head tiredly as it hit the pillow and looked up to see Stefan standing above her. "What?" She asked softly and confused.

"You fell asleep watching the movie. I'm just bringing you to bed." He said with a smile and Elena smiled up at him.

"Thank you." Her vision was a bit blurry still, her eyes heavy. "I'm sorry I fell asleep on you." She sat up slightly as it started to come back at her.

"No problem. I figured you were exhausted." He smiled. "I should probably head out."

"What time is it?" She went to look at her clock, seeing that it was one in the morning.

"It's a little after one, so I best be going." He laughed lightly.

"Oh wow, you don't have to…" Before Elena could tell him that he could take the couch instead of drive with all the drunks on the road his lips crashed against hers, catching her off guard. Stefan took this as an invitation to stay, with her.

Her eyes flew open in shock as Stefan climbed onto the bed, hovering over her. His lips were against hers, even as Elena protested. Her hands pushed at his chest as she tried to move her head away. She whimpered, afraid that he had her pinned down and she was weightless under him.

Stefan grabbed onto her wrists and pinned them on either side on her head as his lips left her and he proceeded to trail kisses to her neck.

"Stefan, stop. Get off of me!" She urged, trying to move her body against him. "Please." She begged, this only caused Stefan to lower himself on top of her, pressing the weight of his body down on top of her as Elena's eyes stung with tears.

"Stop!" She screamed in panic.

"Just give in." Stefan whispered into her ear. "I know you want me."

"No, no, I don't. Stop it, Stefan. Please." She cried, tears now streaming down her face. "Get out. Just get out!"

Stefan ignored her and let go of her wrists, forcing his tongue into her mouth and running his hands down her body, moving to her shirt. Elena took advantage of this moment and grabbed onto his hair, pulling it hard and causing Stefan to yelp in pain.

"Fuck." He pulled back and looked at her. "Alright. I like a girl that can be rough." He smirked and went to undo his jeans. Elena kneed him in the groin, hearing him groan in agony. She pushed at his chest hard, pushing him off of her.

"Get the fuck out…NOW!" She screamed. It only took Stefan a minute to regain his strength before he stood up and Elena scooted back on the bed quickly, frightened and whimpering.

"You stupid bitch." He smacked her hard across the face and Elena clamped onto it, letting out a shriek.

"I'm calling the police." She quickly crossed to the other side of the bed, grabbing the home phone from her nightstand. Stefan made a move towards her but as soon as she held the phone up he stopped in his tracks.

"Get out. Don't come near me." She backed up again cautiously.

"This is because Damon isn't it?" He said. "There is something going on with you two isn't there? That's why you keep turning me down." He accused.

"Are you delusional? Nothing is going on with Damon! We're coworkers you fucking moron! Even if there was that doesn't give you the right to force yourself onto me!" She yelled.

Stefan stared at her angrily. He wanted her from the moment he saw her. He knew his brother did too. The fact that this girl had turned him down made his blood boil and he wasn't going to stop until he won. He took a step towards her only to stop when Elena raised the phone up. He growled and stepped back. He turned to leave the room but stopped at her dresser and out of anger and frustration he swiped his hand across it, clearing everything off before storming out of the house.

Elena shrieked, but let out a sigh of relief once he left. She ran and shut her door quickly. Something was seriously wrong with him. She now had her doubts that he was who he claimed to be. He was just as dangerous as the Mikaelsons. She couldn't believe she had trusted him, all because he was related to Damon.

She began to rethink her decision on telling Damon what actually happened the night before. Her face was extremely sore and she winced, hissing in pain when she touched her face. She was too afraid to go in the bathroom and look at the damage he had done. Instead, Elena sank back onto her bed, crying herself to sleep.

* * *

The next day, Jenna was making lunch. She had invited her boyfriend, Alaric over and had also invited his best friend to come along. She had never met him, but Alaric had always spoken highly of him and was recently happy to find that he was back in town.

Elena was still in her room and had not come down. Today was her day off and Jenna had been worried. She had gotten in late last night and went straight to bed. She was later woken up by the sounds of yelling and something loud crashing. Jenna had rushed into the hallway when she heard the commotion only to see a young boy about Elena's age storming down the stairwell. She had tried knocking to see if Elena was okay but Elena never answered. All Jenna heard was the constant crying. It saddened her deeply and worried her even more when Elena didn't want to talk to her. She just wanted to make sure she was okay.

Half an hour later when Ric had arrived, Elena still hadn't come down from her room. She watched as a blue Camaro pulled up and parked right behind Ric. The man that stepped out of the car was extremely attractive and she had only wished Elena was down stairs to witness it, having no idea the two had already met. When the stranger had greeted Ric, Jenna smiled. This was the first time she was going to meet her boyfriend's best friend.

She opened the door and smiled brightly, kissing Alaric. "Hey." She said and looked to the blue eyed stranger. "And this must be the notorious best friend."

"That's me." He wiggled his brows. "Damon." He held out his hand which Jenna gladly shook.

Once they stepped inside the first thing he did was look around for any sign of Elena. He hadn't known this was where he would be going when his friend asked him to tag along today. He had followed Ric over and pulled up to the house in shock.

After the three had small talked for a while, Alaric could tell something was off with his girlfriend.

"Is something on your mind?" He asked when they were alone in the kitchen. He had followed her out there when she went to get them another round of beers. Damon could still hear them and was going to tune them out until he heard her name.

"It's Elena." Jenna sighed. "Something happened to her last night. There was this guy here and…I don't know Ric." Ric pulled Jenna into his arms seeing how upset Jenna was becoming.

Damon had stood up and walked into the kitchen, clearly alert and now worried. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. Is Elena okay? We work together at the hospital and we've become friends recently. I didn't think she was here." He explained.

Jenna looked up, surprised that Damon and her niece had already known each other. "She's here." She sighed once again. "She won't answer me though."

"What exactly happened last night?" He questioned her. "I've been worried about her lately." He added, causing Jenna and Alaric to give him weird looks.

"What do you mean?" Jenna asked, furrowing her brow. She knew she hadn't seen Elena lately, but the times they had run into each other throughout the house she seemed cheerful.

"Well, she's hiding something…someone." He leaned on the kitchen counter. "You see, when she came into work yesterday she had bruises all over her wrists…as if someone was holding her way too tightly. She even went as far to say something as silly as a patient had done it when she injected them." He shook his head and saw Jenna's eyes widened in shock.

"I had no idea…" She said slowly.

"Jenna, what happened when I dropped you off last night?" Alaric asked curiously.

"I…I don't really know. I went upstairs and fell asleep." She didn't bother looking in the living room when she got home. She was so tired she could barely climb the stairs. "I woke up to yelling and screaming. It took me awhile to process it was Elena. I was half asleep, so it didn't register to me until I heard something loud. I could swear it was glass breaking...whatever it was it was loud." She swallowed before continuing. "I ran out just in time to see a man storming out of her room. Elena's door slammed right after and I called her and I knocked and she just wouldn't answer. All she did was cry. I would never walk in without her permission…but I should have." Jenna teared up. After hearing what Damon had said she had a feeling that whatever was going on in Elena's life was not good.

"Do you mind if I try?" Damon asked. Now he was more than worried.

"Can you? It's the first room." Jenna pleaded. She had a feeling by the way Damon was acting that there was more than this just friends story.

Damon nodded and smiled sympathetically to the red head before ascending the stairs to Elena's room. When he knocked and heard no answer but the soft sobs, he turned the doorknob.

"Jenna, go away!" Elena shrieked in almost a shocked whisper, jumping out of her bed and turning towards the window. It wasn't just shock in her voice, but she sounded afraid.

"I'm not Jenna and we need to talk." Damon said looking at her even though her back was turned on him.

* * *

**So sorry for the wait! I hope you accept my apology with this drama filled long chapter. Let me know what you think. I will update sooner this time, I promise! **

**For those of you wondering why Stefan is so bad, you'll find out soon enough. Feel free to guess in the meantime. **

**** There will be no rape storyline in this fic. I could never have my character go through that. If Elena hadn't of kneed him, I would have had Stefan get angry and leave anyways. **


	7. Chapter 7

_"Jenna, go away!" Elena shrieked in almost a shocked whisper, jumping out of her bed and turning towards the window. It wasn't just shock in her voice, but she sounded afraid._

_"I'm not Jenna and we need to talk." Damon said looking at her even though her back was turned on him._

* * *

Elena stood there shell shocked. She refused to turn around and continued to stare out the window. "Wh…what are you doing here?" She swallowed thickly, not expecting to see him so soon.

Damon looked around her room and saw an array of objects scattered and broken on the floor by her dresser. He chose to act like he didn't see anything for the time being.

"Well actually Elena, Alaric happens to be my best friend and he wanted me to meet his girlfriend." He said in his usual playful tone. He wasn't quite sure how to approach Elena just yet.

"Oh…" She said quietly. "Look, I'm not feeling very well. You should probably go." She hugged her arms around herself and continued to look out the window as she teared up. She needed a friend desperately, but she was so afraid to tell Damon. Had it been any other guy that attacked her, she would have told him in an instant. But this was Damon's brother, telling him something like this…she just didn't know how.

"I'm not going anywhere, Elena." He said gently, taking a step forward. "What happened over there?" He knew he didn't have to point it out. It was the first thing you saw when you walked in the room.

"The dresser?" Elena sighed and humorlessly laughed. "I tripped when I came home last night, clumsy me."

"Don't do that. Don't lie. You are _not that girl_, Elena. Jenna knows something happened here last night." He watched as Elena looked down. "Elena…" He pleaded. He wanted her to turn and face him. He wanted her to tell him what happened. He was concerned.

"How do you know?" She asked quietly. Damon was confused at first until he understood.

"Because you're brave." He said truthfully.

"You don't know me." She scoffed, shaking her head quickly.

"I know you almost threw yourself in front of a speeding car to save an innocent animal's life. You're strong and if someone's hurting you…" He dragged off, unable to finish. "Elena, please look at me."

Elena took a short and jagged breath, choking on sobs that she was trying to hide from Damon. She knew that the right thing to do would be to come clean. She knew he was just as stubborn as she was. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew once she turned around there would be no turning back. She would have to tell Damon exactly what happened and who did it. "Please don't be mad at me." She said shakily as she slowly turned around, looking anywhere but him.

"Elena, why would I—oh my god." Damon paled when Elena turned. Her whole face was puffy, most likely due to crying, and her eye was black and swollen. Her left cheek was as red as a tomato. Damon felt sick to his stomach at her appearance. Anger flooded through his veins but he knew right now he needed to be there for her.

"Christ, Elena." He said as he stepped closer to her. She didn't move, but when he slowly raised his hands to cup her face she flinched. It broke his heart and Damon stopped moving his hands any closer. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." He hesitated before pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I know." She whispered just audible enough for him to hear. Elena winced slightly as his thumb gently stroked the side of her face. "It's okay." She nodded.

"No, none of this is okay." He cupped her face. "Elena, please tell me what happened. Who was this man that hurt you?" He watched as Elena's eyes water, tears threatening to spill over her waterline. He gently led her over to the bed and sat down beside her. He held her hands gently, rubbing his thumb back and forth along the back of her hand.

"Damon." Her voice went an octave higher, cracking. "I don't know if I can tell you. I want to, but I'm scared." She wept. She wasn't scared of what Stefan would do; she was scared of what Damon's reaction would be. She didn't even know if Damon would believe her and that was what she was scared of the most. If she told him and he didn't believe her, she didn't know what she would do.

"You can tell me. I won't let him hurt you again. Let me protect you." Damon couldn't believe how strong his feelings were for her. He cared about her so much and had only known her for such a little time. He'd never known that he would meet this girl, kiss her and then only seem to want her more. A part of him told himself the reason he cared and felt so much was because they were 'forbidden', in such terms. He thought that maybe if they kissed again or explored whatever was going on between them, the infatuation would die. Seeing her in front of him with tears in her eyes and bruised face only confirmed it wasn't just a physical attraction. There was just something about her that made him want to be there for her and want her even more with each passing second.

"It was…" She breathed deeply, trying to get control of herself. Damon held onto everything she was about to tell him. His was listening intently and holding her hands firmly within his own.

"Stefan…it was Stefan." She said with fear of what was about to happen next. It was out and she was scared to death. What would he think of her? Would he think she was just saying that to push him away, get him to back off? Did she want him to hate her? It wasn't the case, but it was her greatest fear, losing him before they were ever even given the chance to start. A thick silence filled the bedroom, but if only lasted briefly.

"What?!" Damon asked angrily. "What do you mean Stefan? He did this to you? That son of a bitch, I'm going to kill him." He stood up, quickly letting go of her hand and began to pace her room. His hands folded and pressed to his lips. His vision was blinded, white hot with rage.

"You believe me?" Elena asked, shocked. "Why aren't you surprised?" She gripped onto the edge of her bed. She watched him pace back and forth. This was the thing she expected the least. Damon knew Stefan was dangerous?

"Because this is just like him! First the gambling and the fighting and now he's resorted to hitting women?!" Damon was more than angry. He was absolutely furious. Every fiber of his being wanted to find Stefan and give him the beating of a lifetime.

"What do you mean? I thought Stefan was writing a novel?" Elena asked confused only to have Damon laugh humorlessly at her.

"He's never even started on the damn novel. All he ever did was go out and place bets on fights like the immature asshole that he is. That's all his life is!" He turned to face Elena. He was angry, but his anger was in no way directed towards her. "Do you know what it's like to work your ass off your entire life just to be accepted by an unloving father? To work so hard to try and redeem that you're not a disappointment? Look at where I'm standing. I'm a doctor and what's Stefan? A gambler, a damn brawler, a womanizer now and yet he was still the golden boy." He breathed angrily as Elena let him rant. She could tell there were definitely some family issues with the Salvatore's and telling him the truth only made her feel worse.

"I'm so sorry…" she breathed heavily "I never meant to cause any trouble or you any pain. I should have kept my mouth shut." She nodded briefly and looked down.

"Don't say that," he let out a sigh and sat down beside her. "None of this is your fault and you didn't make anything worse than it already was. Our issues date back to long before I met you. You're just a victim in all of this and I'm relieved that you told me." He tone softened as his focus returned on her. "Please, tell me everything that happened…starting with the first time." He gently reached out and gently grabbed her wrists. The bruises on her wrist had mostly faded but were still evident.

"I will tell you but," she took an uneasy breath "under one condition. You don't kill him, or even let him know you know." She saw the look of protest on his face. "Please. I'm begging you. Just let me explain why and please don't blow up…you're not going to like it once you know the truth."

Her eyes faltered before her gaze fell from his. She closed her eyes and inhaled. When she opened her eyes, she felt refreshed. She felt a wave of relief pass over her. The hardest part was over, now she just had to tell him what happened. She was still waiting for his answer and raised her eyebrows at him to let him know she meant what she said. "Damon?"

Damon sighed loudly before letting out a fake chuckle. "Killing him is a stretch Elena, but I will stay calm. I promise that while you tell me I will remain calm…however, I can't promise my actions once I see Stefan."

Elena could only nod her head in understanding. It was enough for him to stay calm as she told him the truth. She knew whether she insisted or not that his actions against his brother was not her choice to make.

"Okay…" She stretched out her fingers placing her hands on her lap. While she tried to think of the place to begin she felt one of his hands being placed on top of her own. It was a kind gesture and she smiled gently at him. She looked down at their hands as she started.

"It started the night of the Founder's Party. He drove me home…I should have seen it then but I didn't." She sighed. "Anyways, he had said something regarding us, saying he could see why you liked me but when I had tried to say there was nothing between us he laughed it off. He said that wasn't what he meant. He did though…I know he did." She paused for a minute. "He kissed me. I'm so stupid. I should have known when I pulled away and he didn't let go that something wasn't right with him." She felt Damon tense beside her and looked at him. "I basically told him it was never going to happen…I didn't even see us as friends. Then I went over and I was coming over to tell you…then I saw her…" She stopped, swallowing her own words.

"Tell me what Elena?"

"It's not important anymore." She brushed off and continued on before he could say another word about the matter. "I went to Stefan, telling him we could be friends. He agreed to it but told me I was afraid to admit my feelings and that we could be something more. His phone rang then and supposedly it was his publisher telling him they didn't like his work. He got really angry and no matter what I did, I couldn't get him to calm down. He was throwing things, he was so furious. He turned his anger towards me and he pushed me against the wall. He wouldn't let me go no matter how hard I pushed against him." She felt Damon's grip tighten on her hand before loosening again. "When I finally got loose he grabbed my wrist and held them so tightly…and then just like that he let go. He was sorry and he didn't mean to hurt me."

"That doesn't mean you should feel sorry for him. You should have told me, Elena. I would have handled it right then and there." He said, trying to hide his anger.

"I know. I just didn't want to cause problems. I know you two don't have the best relationship."

"Yeah, well any chance of reconciliation is over now." He scoffed. "What happened here last night?"

"Maybe we should take a break. I think we—"

"No. I want to hear it now. I can handle it. You don't have to worry about me." He was furious, but he was able to hold it in. He didn't want Elena to feel like she needed to keep things from him.

"Stefan came over last night because I forgot I had told him I would go over to your place. We watched a movie and talked for a while. I fell asleep…somewhere between those two I fell asleep. The next thing I know he's laying me in bed at one in the morning and he said he was going home. I was about to tell him he could stay and crash on the couch but as soon as I said no, you don't have to he…" She paused. This was the hardest part besides telling Damon that the reasons for her bruises were his own flesh and blood. "He kissed me…he moved on top of me and once again I tried to push him off. I pushed against him, pulled his hair, screamed and cried telling him no and not too and stop…and he said..."

"Elena." She looked at Damon and saw the pain swirling behind his blue orbs. "What did he say?"

"Just that he liked a girl that could be rough." She said sadly and saw Damon clench his free fist.

"Please tell me he didn't…he didn't…" Damon couldn't even utter the word he feared most. If Stefan had raped Elena he didn't know how he would handle it.

"No…no he didn't rape me. I don't think he would have gone that far." She swallowed.

"Are you kidding? Any guy capable of forcing himself on a woman and not stopping after the first no…jesus Elena." He ran his hand through his dark tresses. "So? How did it end?"

"I kneed him. He got angrier and he hit me…so hard. It hurt so bad. He would have come after me again…he did, but I grabbed the phone so instead he cleared the dresser off and stormed out." She told him as she remembered the events from the previous night, ignoring what he said specifically regarding Damon and her.

"And why am I not allowed to kill him or at least beat the living shit out of him?" He looked at her.

"Because, just please. Please don't." She begged, looking at him wide eyed.

"Why are you protecting him?" He seethed angrily. "How can you? Have you seen your face? Do you not remember what he did to you? You just told me and if I were in your shoes I'd have the whole town knowing exactly what he is!"

"You can't! I'm not protecting him! I'm protecting you!" She blurted and covered her mouth quickly.

"What are you talking about? Why would you be protecting me?"

"Because he thinks something is going on between us! He thinks that's why I turned him down in the first place. And you know what? He's right! I can't have feelings for anyone else because I have feelings for you!"

Damon was shocked by her outburst of a confession. Yes, he knew she had feelings for him. He had hoped at least. Hearing it out loud threw him into shock. He didn't know what to say. He hadn't been expecting Elena to be so blunt and upfront with him.

"If people find out about us, we'd both be out of jobs."

"But Elena, you made it clear that nothing else would be happening between us." He looked at her. "There is nothing going on between us, so why would it matter if I told Stefan?"

"Because that night I came over to tell you that…well I don't know what. I just know I couldn't stop thinking about you. I had to see you."

There it was. It was everything that Damon needed to hear to confirm his suspicions. He had only wished that Elena would admit there was more to them than just a kiss. He scooted closer to her on the bed.

"Elena…what do you want?" He reached across to run his thumb gently along her right cheek. He smiled as he watched her close her eyes and relax her head against his gentle caress. When she opened her eyes, he saw something in her eyes that he hadn't seen since the first night they met. Her doe eyes sparkled and it brought him back to the playful conversation that night. He had planned on going back to her house that next day. If his phone hadn't of gone off, he had no doubt they would have gone further. Now, that look of lust appeared back in her eyes.

"I want to give us a try." She said honestly. "You're right…nobody has to know right now. We'll figure it out."

"Are you sure?" He asked as he inched closer to her lips. The simple nod she gave him was all he needed and as he inched closer she did too.

Their lips met as she closed the distance between them. It was soft but held a fire beneath it. She was intoxicating to him, much as he was to her. Elena's breath hitched as she pulled her lips away from his. Her forehead was pressed firmly against his and Damon opened his eyes, wondering if her own eyes held doubt in them. He couldn't tell as her eyes were closed but her lips were parted as she pulled back, questioning if she was making the right decision.

She wanted this more than anything. She wanted him. She knew it was risky and it would be hard but she couldn't deny it or run from it any longer. She needed him. When Elena pressed her lips to his again, it wasn't as soft as before. This time, it was as if you could taste the desire on them.

Elena's hand traveled slowly until they were wrapped around his neck as Damon's hands traveled down to her waist. He wanted more than anything to push her down onto the bed and blow her mind but he wasn't going to push it. He was going to take it slow. The last thing he wanted was to take a step back when they'd barely even gone forward.

He slid his tongue along the entrance of her mouth. Elena granted him access, opening the door and letting him in. She tasted like wine, and he was already intoxicated by her. He pulled her closer to him but felt Elena leaning slowly backwards. Her arms were locked in an embrace around his neck and she was pulling him back onto the bed.

Slowly, he climbed on top of her. He couldn't believe that he was feeling the way he was when all they were doing was kissing. The kiss grew more passionate and Damon was slowly tugging at her lips. His pants began to tighten in the dark jeans he was wearing as he kissed down her jawline tenderly.

Elena felt an ache low in her stomach, need. She tilted her head to the side as Damon proceeded to her neck. She moaned softly and he pulled back to look at her. His blue orbs were shining down on her brown ones and she could see the darkness settling in his. She could see the lust and desire swirling in his eyes. She didn't have to ask in order to see the question in his eyes as well. He wanted to know if this was alright.

He wasn't pushing her to do anything she didn't want to. He didn't want to scare her off by going too far. Elena simply nodded. She knew he was worried about going further after knowing what happened with his brother the previous night. He didn't have to worry. Elena wasn't scared of Damon. What the two of them shared was mutual. It hadn't been with Stefan. She didn't want it. Damon was different. She wanted to be closer to him. There was something about him that made it impossible for her to think clearly. The only thing that was clear to her was how much she wanted him.

Elena made the next move as she smiled up at him and put her hands on the inside of his leather jacket. She slowly pushed it down his arms until he tossed it on the floor. He wore a black v-neck beneath and as Elena's hands moved to his muscular arms, his lips were on hers again.

She found herself whimper into the kiss, craving the contact as his hands slid down her sides. His fingertips glided beneath the hem of her shirt and she felt her stomach flip. Elena sat up slowly as Damon's hands went behind her back, holding her firmly to his chest, never once breaking the kiss.

They were both on their knees in front of each other as they passionately embraced and kissed with no intent to stop. His hands once again travelled beneath her shirt and he had it pulled halfway up when there was a knock at the door and they quickly jumped off of the bed together.

"Hey Elena?" It had been Jenna. "I was wondering if you were going to come downstairs? I'd really like for you to meet Ric."

"Yeah, sure Jenna." She replied, her voice almost breathless. "I'll be down in a second."

"Is Damon still in there with you?"

"I am." Damon spoke as he looked at Elena wide eyes. He had to resist laughing.

"We'll be down in a minute. We were just discussing what happened last night." She said firmly. It was all she needed to say because she knew that Jenna would believe her. She also knew that Jenna was also curious as to what happened.

She looked over at Damon, already missing the contact. His fingers had felt like fire against her bare skin and only left her wanting more. They shared one more fiery kiss before heading downstairs.


	8. Chapter 8

Please be sure to read the author's note at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

A week had gone by since Elena had last seen Damon. It was torture for the girl, even with the non-stop texting they had been doing. She just wanted to hear his velvety voice, to see his face, press her lips against his and rope her fingers in his raven black hair. As the week went on, a lot of the texts between the two had been flirtatious, but a good majority of them had been them getting to know one another.

Elena had learned a lot about Damon. The more she learned about him, the more she fell, unable help it. She tried to tell herself in the beginning that it was just a physical attraction that brought her to him, but as time went on she couldn't deny that there was something there. Damon was charming and his personality had outshined all the other men that she had ever taken an interest in. Sure he was cocky, but it drew her to him more. She loved his snarky commentary. She loved the playful banter between the two of them. He was only two years older than her, but something about the slight age difference drew her to him even more. There was a certain maturity about him. He was serious about life whereas most of the guys Elena's age were still out partying and worrying if the next Mass Effect game would live up to its expectations.

He was everything she had ever wanted, everything she had ever looked for in a man. Elena was serious about life. She knew she grew up way too quickly, but she felt as if she needed to. Elena took on responsibility that most teenagers wouldn't be able to handle. It was a great distraction and kept her mind off the tragic loss of her parents, but even today she still found herself unable to heal the pain.

Other things she loved…wait…_liked_ about Damon was he was responsible. He was playful and kind. He was always concerned about how Elena was and would send her sweet texts. Whether he was just saying good morning or even good night, they made her heart warm. He was different from all the rest of the guys she had known and very compassionate about life. He was happy and Elena found that she could no longer hide the smile whenever he entered her mind. He had everything that she dreamed of wanting. Not only did his personality match up but his looks made her knees weak. He was dashing, fit, and those cerulean eyes hypnotized her.

Elena was blushing right now. She grinned looking in the rearview mirror and looked back to the road. She was on her way over to the grill, going to pick up something to eat. She hated the food they served in the cafeteria at the hospital with a passion and was going to be working a ten hour shift. She was filled with joy when Damon had texted her earlier, telling her he would be working the same hours. She couldn't wait to finally see him.

The two had agreed that they wouldn't do anything that might sabotage their jobs, as much as they wanted to. Elena immediately thought of his body flush against her own as he captured her lips between his…no, they wouldn't chance it.

Elena parked her car in front of the grill and walked in, ordering herself something that she could heat in the microwave in the break room. While she was waiting, she had contemplated going up to see Jeremy. Things between the two had still been tense. He wouldn't open up to her, but she knew exactly what was going on.

Elena's eyes widened as she watched the eldest Mikaelson brother enter the grill. She hadn't expected to see Klaus for at least another week. She had remembered him saying that he would be gone for two weeks to take care of an old 'debt'. It made Elena sick when she pictured exactly what he meant. Somebody had probably ran, not paying him and he went after to collect…kill. She shuddered at the thought as she watched him walk towards the stairs that led to Jeremy's apartment upstairs.

Before she knew what she was doing, she walked over to him. "Klaus is it?"

"Elena, Jeremy's sister?" He asked with a sinister smirk plastered on his face.

Elena swallowed and nodded as he continued. "I was just going to see Jeremy actually to pick," he paused as he searched for the most appropriate word but settled with "_something _up."

"Please. Can we talk?" Elena asked before she knew exactly what her plan of action would be.

"So Jeremy filled you in, did he?"

"No, but I can just imagine. Please. My brother isn't exactly stable, he hasn't been for years. I know all about you and if my brother is involved with you I can only assume that he's gotten himself in trouble."

"Well aren't you quick to assume. Sorry darling, but I don't do negotiations." He started to climb the stairs.

"That's not true. If you didn't you wouldn't have told Jeremy you'd be back in two weeks. Please, I beg you."

The tall man had turned to face Elena. He took a step down as he neared her. "What makes you think you know anything?"

"How much does he owe you? I can take over his debt." She ignored him and continued. She couldn't bear to see any harm come to her brother. Other than Jenna, Jeremy was all that she had left in her life. She couldn't lose him because he was hurting. The only way Jeremy knew how to cope was by numbing the pain with drugs, exactly where Klaus came in.

"I'm not sure you'll have enough to cover ."

"I'm a doctor, I have plenty of money. I'm sure I can."

"Alright then," he walked down the stairs, headed towards the bar as he tipped his finger, signaling the bartender to serve his regular "let's _negotiate_."

"No. How much does he owe you? I pay you and we're done here." She said sternly.

"Fifteen grand," he leaned closer as Elena's eyes widened in disbelief "and let's get something straight. I call the shots."

"Fif…fifteen grand? How does he owe you that much? There's no way."

"It was only five. You're brother happened to mess up a very important deal for me, he's paying the consequences of that deal."

Elena shook her head. "No, that's not fair. It's not ri –"

"Nothing in life is ever fair sweetheart." He cut her off. "So are you going to pay up or am I going to have to make an unpleasant visit to your brother?"

"No, I'll pay. I can't pay you all fifteen grand right now, but I can give you the original five that he owed you to start."

"Fair enough. Now as for that other ten?" He raised his brows as he shot back the scotch that had been placed in front of him.

"I will get it soon. I have it…I just have to arrange things with my bank which I can't do tonight because I have to be at work soon." She reached in her purse, taking out a check. Her hands were shaking as she started to write out the check. She had the money, it would put her in a rough spot, but anything was better than losing her brother. Not only did she have the money from saving through the years, but her parents weren't exactly poor and she still had leftover money from what was left to her. The majority of what they left her had put her through medical school, getting her where she was today. She ripped the check and slid it over to Klaus.

"You know," he picked up the check, inspecting it, before folding it and placing it into his wallet. "We could arrange another form of payment for the other ten grand." He smirked, his eyes travelling her body in a way that made Elena flinch in disgust.

A loud smack was heard throughout the grill and people had turned to look. Elena had slapped Klaus with all of her might, fury boiling through her veins. Klaus grimaced and a haunting growl rumbled in his throat. His cheek reddened with her hand print and Elena had to shake her now stinging hand.

"You may push everyone else in this town around, but not me. I am not afraid of you." She said through clenched teeth, getting out of her seat. She was in fact terrified of the man, but her rage took over the second he propositioned for her body to be used as some form of payment. "My body is not for sale. Stay away from my brother." She grabbed her purse and walked away from the bar, going over to pick up her food before she drove to the hospital.

* * *

She slipped her arms through her white coat, placing a stethoscope around her neck. After the encounter with Klaus, Elena was a mess. She couldn't believe his audacity. She pushed it to the back of her head once she decided that it was over and once she got the rest of the money, she wouldn't have to deal with him again.

All the stress seemed to dissipate from Elena's body when she heard the smooth velvety voice she had craved to hear all week. She was walking down one of the main hallways of the ER and she turned her head towards his voice. Their eyes connected and locked for a few moments and Elena smiled. It didn't go unnoticed as Damon returned the smile and gave her a quick nod before turning back to the visitor of a patient he was talking to.

Elena blushed and continued on. It was a busy day in the ER and Elena was seeing patients back to back for the first few hours of her shift. It thankfully helped pass the time by and keep her mind off her meeting with Klaus. However, seeing Damon in the halls was enough to erase anything that was on her mind.

Halfway through her shift, she decided to take her break. Her mind was all over the place so she turned on the radio and smiled at the song that came on. It made her laugh lightly, reminding her of Damon. She sang along lightly to "Animal" by Neon Trees. She opened the tiny refrigerator to retrieve her food. She lightly bounced on her feet as she sang along to the chorus and popped her food into the microwave. She realized that she had a smile glued to her face and she could feel her cheeks reddening just thinking about Damon. It was at the part that said 'what are you waiting for?' that his velvety voice snapped her out of her train of thought.

"Yes Elena, what are you waiting for?" She turned around quickly just in time to see the lopsided smile on his face as he walked towards her. Her face reddened as she blushed profusely. He hadn't walked straight to her, but smirked as he brushed past her. He too reached into the fridge, pulling out a sandwich.

"Damon." She pursed her lips, her smile showing through. She retrieved her food from the microwave and took a seat at the main table. She realized that they were completely alone in the break room and she knew that he would take advantage of this time.

She watched as he ever so _innocently_ slipped in the seat across from her. She started eating, eyeing him carefully. She knew that he would say something at any minute, and she was right.

"You know Elena, if we continue to take our breaks at the same time, let alone sit together, people will start to get the wrong idea about us." He was mocking her, and he wore a proud smirk the entire time. Elena clicked her tongue against her cheek and resisted the smile that was dying to appear.

"For the record Dr. Salvatore, I was here first. As for seating arrangements, this is the only table and you chose the seat you sat in." She retorted in confidence, popping a chip into her mouth.

They were playing a game and Damon restrained himself from taking advantage of the first time they'd been alone in a week. "Ohh" he scoffed playfully "Dr. Salvatore, so professional Dr. Gilbert." He emphasized the _b_ and the _t_ in Gilbert as Elena rolled her eyes. He smiled at her and waggled his eyebrows. "Hi."

"Hello Damon." She said, her lips curving upwards. "It's good to see you."

"Somebody's obsessed with me." He teased, throwing her off for a moment. "Kidding…hey," He walked his fingers over to her hand and smiled as Elena pushed her hand closer. He let his fingers lightly dance across her hand. "Come over tonight."

"I don't know Damon…if that's a good idea." She immediately thought of Stefan. She didn't want to see him, let alone let him see her with Damon. Something was wrong with him. She made it clear she didn't want him but he had accused Damon of being the reason why. He wasn't entirely wrong, but even before she knew they were related she hadn't wanted him like that.

"Stefan won't be home. He's gone. He's 'going to meet with his publicist' which in actuality means that he's going to one of those fights." He shook his head. Stefan was a horrible liar; nobody meets with their publicist late at night and didn't come home until the next day reeking of alcohol, sometimes with bruises.

"Are you sure?" Her voice wavered in uncertainty.

"I'm positive and as much as I'd rather take you out on the town…we can't." He sighed as he watched their fingers intertwine, smiling as the played with them. "So what do you say?"

Elena smiled at him, her big brown eyes sparkling back into his. She was about to answer when the door to the break room opened and both Elena and Damon quickly moved their hands. Elena looked up to see Meredith walk in, completely wrapped up in whatever was on her clipboard. She smiled as she took placed her hand on her chin and looked at Damon, letting her eyes flicker over his features one last time before pretending that there was nothing going on between them.

"Ugh." Meredith groaned, setting the clipboard down beside Damon and removing her stethoscope. "Today has been absolutely exhausting. For a small town, this ER is way busier than most." She said as she claimed the seat next to Damon. Elena could feel the jealousy climb up her back but she bit her tongue. "What about you?" She looked to Elena. "How's your day?"

"Oh, same as you." She smiled as she finished her food. "I can't wait to go home and relax." She said pointedly. She had every intention of going over to Damon's.

"Well then, I'm going to get back to work. The only good thing about it being busy is the time will pass much quicker." He stood up, his expression unreadable to Elena. "Ladies." He nodded and tossed his empty sandwich bag into the trash, leaving Meredith and Elena alone.

"God, that man is sex on legs." Meredith exclaimed, only deepening Elena's jealousy. She knew Damon had done nothing, but seeing another woman pining after Damon made her angry. She buried it below the surface and hid her anger with a laugh.

"True, but you know the rules." She pointed out, holding her mug of coffee up to her lips.

"Screw rules. When sexy doctors like Damon are walking around, rules are meant to be broken." She chided with a smile and all Elena could do was roll her eyes and act uninterested. She knew Meredith would never make a move on Damon, she wasn't the type. She was always shy of men and she was technically in a relationship. She and her boyfriend had been on and off for years, it was only a matter of time before it was a permanent on.

"You're crazy." Elena laughed.

"Oh please, you can't tell me that you've never thought of what's beneath the white coat." She teased, laughing.

'_If only you knew.'_ Elena thought and smirked. "Well of course I have but that doesn't mean I'm going to break the rules." She dismissed with another laugh as she stood up, tossing the contents of her meal in the trash. "Back to work for me unfortunately." She rolled her eyes playfully. "See ya hun." She smiled before disappearing back into the halls.

Towards the end of her shift, Elena took out her phone to check the time. She had about another half hour left of work and she noticed that she had a message. She smiled, knowing it was from Damon as she clicked to open.

_You never answered my question. – D. _

Elena felt her cheeks flame up and another smile grow on her face as she quickly typed in her reply and sent it. She passed him in the hall again and teasingly ignored him as she walked by, feeling his eyes burn into her. She smirked as she started to talk to another patient. From her peripheral she saw Damon take out his own phone and felt herself light up when the smile crossed his features.

_I thought it was obvious. Yes. –E. _

Damon looked up from his phone and smiled lopsidedly. He watched her walk down the hall, making him crazed with lust at the gentle sway of her hips. There was less than a half hour left of his shift, so he knew he needed to control himself. He had eyed numerous storage closets and empty laboratories throughout the day that he could have taken her in. Damon was still trying to convince himself that what was going on between him and Elena was purely sexual tension and once they finally did have sex, there would no longer be anything between the two of them. However, the constant thoughts and protectiveness he had over her had him thinking twice.

Deep down he knew that wasn't true though. He loved everything about Elena. He would get lost just looking into her big brown eyes. He found himself able to actually hold a conversation with her, something that was extremely rare. In fact, she'd been the first girl that was able to hold a conversation with him. The whole week they texted, the topics seemed endless. Not only that, but the girl had morals. She didn't just hop into bed with him like most girls. She resisted his charm, putting her job first, but he was thankful that she was finally giving in to what they could have. He enjoyed the connection between the two so much that even if a relationship wasn't in the works for them, he would still want to be her friend.

* * *

Damon made his way to the parking lot once his shift had ended. When Elena walked out, he caught her eyes and smiled at her. Something warmed inside of him as he walked over to her. She gave him a look that made him stop. She didn't want to be too obvious so she nodded before walking over to her car. He took it that she was going to follow him, so he got into his car and surely enough as he pulled out, she was right behind him.

Once they arrived at the boarding house, Damon got out and checked the garage. He saw that Stefan's car was gone so he had left like he thought. He smiled and walked over to Elena who was just getting out of her car. Damon had no idea of what he was going to say, nor did Elena. It was time for the awkwardness to ensue.

Damon cleared his throat. "I checked. Stefan's gone. It's okay to come in."

Elena nodded and locked her car. "Thank you for that." She took a breath and let it out, smiling at him.

"Do you maybe want a bite?" He asked as they walked to the door.

"You cook?" She smiled at the thought.

"Oh hunny, there's a lot you don't know about me." He waggled his eyebrows playfully, earning a playful eye roll in return. "But yes. I do cook. Something I learned from my mother." He smiled, opening the door and motioning for her to go in first.

Elena smiled, thinking of her own mother. "That's really great that you have something to share with her." She stepped inside, looking around. The house was massive and it still amazed her, even though she'd been there before.

"Not anymore." He shut the door behind him. "My mom died when I was sixteen." He frowned.

"Oh…I'm so sorry." She put her head down, feeling bad as she began to fiddle with her fingers. "My parents died when I was sixteen too." She swallowed, blinking back the tears. "Car accident."

"I'm sorry…losing one parent is hard enough." He looked at her sympathetically.

"It's okay." She folded her arms across her chest with a small shrug. "It's not really something I like to talk about."

"Understandable."

"So you still have your dad?" She asked curiously, pushing away the thoughts of her parent's death as they entered the kitchen.

"No. He died when I was 22. We weren't close." He opened the refrigerator and started to gather some things to cook with.

"That's unfortunate." Elena frowned. She had always been close to her parents and she always believed that children should be close to their parents. It saddened her to know that Damon wasn't close with his father.

"Maybe." He sighed. "He was always disappointed in me and was constantly on my case no matter what I did or how hard I worked. So…him being gone is kind of like a heavy weight being lifted off of my shoulders."

Elena didn't say anything. She forced a tight smile. Hearing about the fractured relationship between him and his father was heartbreaking. She didn't understand how a father could be so hard on their own child, let alone tell them how disappointed they were. She remembered him saying before that Stefan had been the golden boy of the family and Elena just couldn't see it.

Stefan wasn't doing anything with his life except what Damon had told her. She had to believe him just because of the way Stefan treated her. She couldn't begin to think how he could try to force himself onto her the way he did, let alone hit her.

"But let's not talk about parents tonight. We both clearly have our own share of pain when it comes to them." He nodded as he began to cook.

"Yeah." It was all she could answer. He was right though, the last thing she wanted to get into tonight was how responsible she felt for her parent's death.

"So what had you all chipper in the break room today?" He changed the subject, tossing a smirk in her direction. Elena's cheeks flushed with color.

"I was just happy." It had been true, Elena was happy. She wasn't about to confess that he was the reason why, at least not anytime soon.

"With the way you were dancing around, I'd say you had a pretty good reason to be happy." He walked over, nudging her with his hip. "Care to share?"

"You wish, Salvatore." She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Mhm. Do you want to get us something to drink from the fridge while I serve? It's leftover pasta, but it's better than nothing."

"Sure." Elena made her way over to the fridge, grabbing two cans of Pepsi, walking back to the island.

Throughout dinner, they had made small talk. They managed to move past all of the awkwardness and enjoy each other's company. Damon was sitting right beside her instead of across from her . His laugh was the best sound she had ever heard. It echoed through her ears, much as it did with Damon. They were both completely captivated with each other. They found that they didn't have to pretend with each other. They could be themselves. It was towards the end of their meal that the lightness of their conversation had ended.

"I've really enjoyed getting to know you, Elena. Talking to you is a great addition to my day." He smiled as he set his fork down on his plate. "Even if a good majority is through text." He chuckled.

Elena smiled at him and twirled the last of her pasta onto her fork. She looked at him timidly. "So have I." She ate what was on her fork before setting it onto her own plate. She wasn't sure of what to say or where they would go from here.

"I really like you Elena…I only wish that we didn't have to meet in private like this." He looked at her, his blue orbs staring back into hers honestly, a slight smirk on his face. "I'm extremely annoyed with these rules."

Elena was actually shocked that he was so forward with the way he felt. She was intrigued to know more. "And if we didn't have to meet in private anymore Mr. Salvatore?" She asked teasingly.

"Well then I could actually take you out." He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

"Uh huh. Is that all?" She smiled coyly as she stood up. The least she could do was help him with the dishes. Before she could pick up a plate, Damon's hand was over her own as he looked up at her.

"Leave them." He smiled as he slowly rose. "And to answer your question. No, that's not at all." He smirked casually. "You're a beautiful girl Elena, you're smart, funny…any guy would be lucky to have you. So maybe I want people to know that you're taken." He stepped closer.

"Hmm, taken am I? I thought we were just giving whatever this is a try?" She asked playfully.

He laughed lightly and looked at her. "We are, as long as we continue to give whatever this is a try. That's not a problem is it?" He teased back optimistically.

"No, it's not." Her breath hitched as she noticed his proximity. Her gaze lingered down onto his lips. "Any other reasons why you would love if those rules didn't exist?"

"So I could do this anytime," he inched closer "anywhere that I want." His lips pressed against hers firmly.

She felts his hands catch in her hair as he kissed her softly. He pulled away much too soon for Elena's liking. Nothing was said as Elena stared deeply into his eyes, nor when they travelled back down to his lips.

Her skin tingled as she inhaled his breath. They were so close and Elena couldn't resist him any longer. She had told herself that she was getting herself in too deep, but she didn't care.

She pulled him back in, capturing his lips in a searing kiss. Her delicate hands travelled up to cup his face as she felt Damon's hands travel to her lower back, pulling her closer to him. A soft whimper escaped her lips as she felt her chest press against his.

She roped her fingers in his dark tresses, tangling them as their mouths moved in perfect sync. Soon they were battling each other with their tongues. It didn't take long for Elena to give in. She was completely lost in the moment. As the kiss deepened, their hands began to roam as their breaths grew heavier. Here they were in the kitchen, unable to tear apart for more than a fraction of a second.

It was when Elena began to pull at the buttons on Damon's shirt that he reluctantly broke the kiss. "God, I want you Lena." He breathed huskily. He wanted her so bad but for one, he didn't want to take advantage of her. With any other girl, if they were throwing themselves at him he wouldn't think twice about questioning it. With Elena, he actually cared. He found himself not wanting her to be just another girl.

"Then take me." She purred seductively, her eyelid's fluttering as she looked at him. She was unable to control her lust for him at that moment.

All train of thought had vanished when Elena's seductive voice ran through him. He felt his jeans tighten more than they had when they were just kissing. He smirked, reaching forward for her hand. His eyes darkened and all he could think about was images of their naked bodies tangled together.

She took his hand and he led her up into his bedroom. This was something new for him. With any other girl, he'd have taken them right there in the kitchen. But again, Elena wasn't any other girl. This was a girl he could see himself with. He didn't bring home girls and talk or enjoy a meal before having sex with them.

He pulled her close, capturing her lips in an innocent kiss. It was slow and as his lips lingered against hers, things started to grow heated again. His hands began to roam her body once more as her own went back to unbuttoning his shirt in a hasty fashion. She was pushing his shirt down his shoulders as he worked on unbuttoning hers. Once their shirts were gone they both pulled back, breathing heavily in unison, taking each other in.

Their bodies collided as Elena dug her fingers into his chest. He groaned and her fingers trailed down to his chiseled abs as his lips traveled down her neck. He nipped at the skin, a moan erupting from her throat as he ran his tongue down to her collarbone. His hands were on her hips as he pulled her closer, moving them up her back to unclasp her bra.

Everything became a blur as they continued to kiss passionately and discard each other's clothes. Damon's hands were everywhere; moans erupted from Elena's throat as his lips moved down to her breasts. She pushed her chest outward as he worked his mouth on her firm breasts. Elena started to tremble in his arms as he sucked each breast into his mouth. Her eyes were rolling in the back of her head and she moaned in ecstasy.

She reached between them to tug on his large erection. Damon moaned onto her breast, sensations sending her into a new height. As she began to stroke him, his lips found their way back up to her mouth.

Waves of pleasure coursed through his body and all he wanted was to be inside of her. His hands travelled down her body to grip her ass as Elena's hands hooked onto his shoulders. He was about to lift her when Elena's knee's hit the end of his bed and she stumbled backwards, pulling him with her. A gasp escaped her lips and Damon hovered over her, moving her onto the bed completely.

Damon kissed her hungrily, pulling on her lips, sucking them into his mouth as she parted her legs for him. He hooked them around his waist, pressing his head onto her hot center. He stopped, realizing he was too lost in the moment to find a condom.

"I'm on the pill, don't worry about it." She said breathlessly.

"Are you sure?" He blue eyes penetrated her brown ones. He wasn't just asking if it was okay to enter her without a condom, but if she was positive she wanted to go through with this.

Elena bit her lip and nodded eagerly. "Yes."

"Elena…" He so desperately felt the need to be inside of her, but still hesitated.

"Take me, Damon. I want you. So yes, I'm sure." She looked back into his eyes, lust and desire swirling in her now almost black eyes. Her hands came up, tangling her fingers into his raven black hair, pulling him back to her lips and bucking her hips beneath him urgently.

He pushed himself through her wet entrance, filling her to the hilt and Elena pulled her lips away as she gasped loudly, tilting her head back. Damon was huge and it had been a while since her last time, yet he filled her perfectly. It didn't hurt but the amount of pleasure from the intrusion electrified her nerves.

Damon's lip moved to suck on her neck and plant kisses along her collarbone as he thrust himself in and out of her. His hands moved to her breasts, tweaking one of her hardened nipples before moving to the other one. Elena started matching his movements, rotating her hips with each thrust.

"Fuck, Elena." He moaned against her, pushing deeply, quickening his movements.

Her hands went to his back, digging her nails into him as he moved even faster. Their hips grinded against each other's and Elena let out a moan every time he buried into her.

"Damon!" She screamed as he thrust deeply and more powerfully. She grasped onto him as her walls began pulsating around his cock. Both of their breaths became ragged as they neared their release.

His lips moved to her ear, taking her earlobe into his mouth and lightly sucking on it before whispering, "Cum for me, Elena."

Her walls clenched around him tighter as his member twitched within her. They kept up their fast rhythm until they both burst, their juices combining as they slowed down their pace to ride out their orgasm.

He kissed her sweetly and pulled out of her, already missing the contact as he rolled off of her. They both stared up at the ceiling as they regained their breath.

"That was amazing." They both said in unison and looked over at each other in the same manner, letting out laughs.

"Well you know what they say" he rolled onto his side, wrapping an arm around her mid to pull her closer to him "great minds think alike." He waggled his brows as he let his eyes roam over her, fully admiring her beauty.

Elena smiled softly at him before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. Damon smiled as he let his fingers walk along the curves of her body. He was completely entranced in her now more than ever. He wanted more, he wanted all of her. He wanted a real relationship with her instead of hiding in the shadows. In the beginning, there was the chance that what was going on between them was just sexual tension and he tried to convince himself of that. There was no more denying it now that they had explored that possibility.

"I have to go." Elena stated as she started to get up, snapping Damon out of his thoughts.

"What?" He asked thoroughly confused. They had just had mind-blowing sex, she had said it herself. What was the problem?

"I can't stay here tonight. I have to go home." She said quickly, avoiding any eye contact as her back faced him and she started to put on her clothes.

"No, you can stay. It's okay Elena." He sat up now. _Great_, he thought to himself. _Now I sound needy._ "If it's Stefan you're worried about he won't be back tonight." He quickly covered.

"No, that's not it." She got up as she pulled her pants on. "I'm sorry Damon." She cleared her throat.

"Okay…?" He uneasily said.

"I will...I'll see you at work."

"Elena, wait." He went to get up but Elena was already at his bedroom door as she turned to face him.

"No Damon. Look, I had a really nice time. I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled uneasily and as Damon looked at her he caught the uncertainty and regret that swirled in her eyes.

She was out the door before Damon could even get his clothes on. Damon knew that look she had. It was the same look she had when she told him she wanted to be with him but it was too risky. The same look she'd given him after they made out in the empty laboratory.

He was about to chase after her when he heard the sound of the front door shut. He wouldn't be able to catch her in time. He stood there baffled, trying to make sense of it all. He fell back onto his bed running his hands over his face. She had just gotten up and left after the greatest sex he'd ever had. Something wasn't adding up and deep down he had a feeling that he knew exactly why she'd left.

* * *

**A/N:** _Okay so things are really about to start flowing with this story now. I apologize in advance if the sex scene is poorly written. It is the first full smut scene that I have written. I plan on writing more and going further with them, so I hope I'll improve. Also, I've changed the title of this story from Breath of Life to Heavy in Your Arms. If you've watched the trailer for this fic, I feel for what is going to happen, the title is more suiting. You can watch the trailer by clicking the youtube link in my profile.  
_

_Also, I've gotten so many views and follows on this fic but I barely get ten reviews per chapter. I usually get somewhere between 6-8 max. When I started this fic, it got an amazing response so I decided to continue. However, with the way they decline it makes me feel as though you're not as interested in the story. I don't usually complain about reviews but, it is really hard for me to write. Reviews brighten my day and inspire me to write sooner. I have a lot planned out for this fic but it's really difficult for me to write when I think people aren't interested…yet there are so many views and follows. So please, help keep me invested in this fic and leave a review. Otherwise, I'm not sure what to think. _

_Sorry for my minor rant, but I hope you can understand. Thank you. _


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